The Mountain Journal
The small holder tea factories in the weekly tea market fetched Sh 1.37 billion after the auction of 4.1 million kgs of tea at the Mombasa Tea Auction.
In the market, the factories under the KTDA management that achieved the premier price are Gathuthi, Sh 424 per kgs Mununga Sh 424 per kg, Imenti Sh 399 per kg, Kimunye Sh 396 per kg, Kiegoi Sh 398 per kg,
Others were Rukuriri that sold a kilogramme at Sh 394 per kg, Gacharage Sh 390 per kg, Ngere Sh 388, and Githongo Sh 387 per kg.
Reports from the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) outlined that Makomboki 122,268 kgs, Rukuriri 105,320 kgs, Ngere 105,036 kgs, and Thumaita 100,680 kgs presented the highest volumes of tea at the auction..
KTDA Holding Chairman Enos Njeru said the buyers are interested in small holders factories due to high quality.
“ The agriculture extention officers are duty bound to visit farms in the catchment to ensure plucking of green leaf follows the laid procedures,” said Mr Njeru.
Photo/ KTDA Chairman Mr Enos Njeru.
Others in Mt Kenya region are Ragati that auctioned 32,680 kgs and Kanyenya ini 66,196 kgs thus fetched better prices compared to those of last week
EATTA Managing Director George Omuga said in the market Kenya offered 6.9 million kgs that fetched a total of Sh 2.03 billion, Burundi Sh 4.4 million, Rwanda Sh 169.5 million, Tanzania Sh 143.4 million.
“ Kenya produce was offered by the KTDA managed factories and the independent producers,” said Omuga,
In the buyers category, traders who bought the largest volume of tea were Global Tea bought 1,194,962 kgs that fetched Sh 339.1 million, Chai Trading 1,024,686 kgs (Sh 314.5 million), James Finlay 854,784 kgs ( Sh237 million), LAB International 702,332 kgs ( Sh194.7 million) among others.
The EATTA report stated that companies that bought tea at the highest price are Global Freight Solution at Sh 374 per kg , Devchand Keshavji (Kenya) Sh 367 per kg, Empire Kenya (EPZ) Sh 356 per kg, AB Exports( Kenya) Sh 328 per kgs among others.
At the same time, cessation of hostilities in the Middle East is a relief to the tea sector, with return of the movement of the produce that piled in the warehouses.
The crisis, Omuga said, had caused panic after tea worth Sh 3 billion had remained locked in the warehouses, and tea factories.
“The shipment of tea to the destinations has led to a drastic improvement in auction absorption and prices this week,” said Omuga.
