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African Tea

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Nipun Wisnagalage
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Uganda Tea Fetches Low Price While Rwanda Gets A Premium at Mombasa Auction

African nations like Kenya, Burundi, Malawi & Rwanda are well known for their coloury, strong CTC (Cut/Tear/Curl) Black teas goes very well with milk and sugar. As New Vision had reported, according to East African Tea Export Auctions report in June 2020, Rwanda’s tea had fetched a premium, followed by Kenya, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania in that order. In June for instance, Rwanda earned $2.47 (sh9,026) per kilogramme, on average, followed by Kenya with $1.86 (sh6,797), Burundi came third with $1.97 (sh7,199) per kg while Uganda was in the fourth position with $1.22 (sh4,458) per kg. Tanzania crop, on the other hand, fetched $1.06 (sh3,873) per kg.

A Tea Plantation in Uganda
Image Credit: flickr

Even in the report published in August 3-5, 2020, Rwanda’s tea fetched the highest average price per kilo at $2.48 (sh9,062). Kenya and Burundi’s produce fetched an average of $1.92 (sh7,016) per kg, each. Uganda, on the other hand, earned $1.29 (sh4,714) while Tanzania got $0.99 (sh3,617).

The Uganda Tea Association executive secretary, George William Ssekitoreko said the poor quality of Uganda’s tea is a result of poorly plucked tea and the lower altitude of tea growing areas in Uganda, compared to other East African countries.

It is said that tea grown on a higher elevation, impacts its growing process. This is because high altitudes are colder and have rocky soils, forcing plants to grow at a lower pace. In the process, allowing greater concentration of carbohydrates in the leaves, which adds natural sweetness, as well as the famed creamy texture.

Additionally, experts say that colder temperatures limit pests and diseases, minimizing the need for pesticides and the bitterness in the leaf, which in most cases comes from polyphenic compounds that develop as natural pest control.

About the plucked leaf, Ssekitoreko said that most Ugandan tea farmers are not well disciplined when it comes to plucking green tea leaves, saying that even when one factory rejects the leaf on account of quality, another one buys it.

To ensure quality, he said that the government needs to put in place a Tea Policy to guide the operations of the sub sector and ensure that all players conform to standards.

Author’s Personal View

But here in Sri Lanka, Low elevation (Below 600m AMSL) grown CTC teas fetch better prices compared to high (+1200m AMSL) and medium (600-1200m AMSL) grown CTC due to extra strength and colour. That’s what matters for tea bags in order to have a quick strong brew. So it’s all about Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) irrespective of elevation.

View More Latest Tea News + Articles: https://www.teawithnipun.com/

References

New Vision: https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1524578/uganda-tea-fetches-low-price-mombasa-auction

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Nipun Wisnagalage
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Malawi Heatwaves Threaten Tea Harvest and Livelihoods

Tea is the most popular beverage after water. African nations like Kenya, Burundi, Malawi & Rwanda are well known for their coloury, strong CTC Black teas. But in the recent past, these nations have started to change their focus towards Orthodox teas in order to improve profitability. CTC Teas from Malawi are reddish once it’s liquored & international buyers use Malawian teas for their blends as colour component. Strength & flavour are also quite good. Tea is one of the main 3 contributors to national GDP through export earnings in Malawi.

But this news is not a very good one. As Future Climate for Africa had reported, The recent heatwave in Malawi has led to consecutive days with very high temperatures. This is exactly the scenario that tea farmer are afraid of. Over the last 18 months, Future Climate for Africa‘s work with smallholder farmers and large-scale tea planters in the southern districts of Mulanje and Thyolo identified the risk of heat scorch to tea bushes as a major concern.

Image Credit: burrard-lucas.com & Future Climate for Africa

The Mimosa weather station (in Mulanje) recorded temperatures exceeding 35°C, and as high as 40°C, during a 10 day period in late October. The result of the heatwave has been that the leaves of tea bushes – which are what is harvested – turned brown and shriveled.

This occurrence will become more common in the future. Whilst currently there are around 40 days per year with temperatures exceeding 35°C, this is likely to become 50 to 100 days by the 2050s in Mulanje. 

There are 18,500 smallholder farmers alone, and many more employed as seasonal farm workers or tea pickers. 

Smallholder farmers, commercial tea estates, and the Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa have been working with scientists from the CI4Tea project (as part of the Future Climate For Africa programme) to better understand and communicate what the future climate could look like, and assist tea farmers think about the adaptation decisions that they need to take.

Source: Future Climate for Africa

My Suggestions for Growers to Overcome This Situation

1.Improve Micro-climate of Tea Gardens

a. Maintain the tea garden as an agro-forest: grow shade trees, cover crops, inter-cropping, live fences etc.

b. Create water reserves likes small tanks to bring down temperature.

2. Use drought tolerant tea varieties

3. Utilize suitable irrigation systems: Drip, Sprinkler etc.

View More Latest Tea News + Articles: http://www.teawithnipun.com/

References

  1. Original Post: https://futureclimateafrica.org/news/malawi-heatwaves-threaten-tea-yields-and-livelihoods/
  2. African Tea: http://www.teawithnipun.com/tag/african-tea/
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Nipun Wisnagalage
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The Story of Tea Lady in Sudan

Tea is the most popular beverage after water. This wonderful beverage has been penetrated to each and every corner in the world. No exception to North East African nation Sudan as well. This article is all about “The Tea Lady” in Sudan.

Awadeya Mahmoud or Awwadah Mahmoud Koko (Arabic: عوضية محمود كوكو ) is a tea seller and activist from Sudan. Mahmoud lived in southern Kordofan. She was born in 1963 & got married and in 1986. Awadeya began selling tea to make living. Due to war in south Sudan, she moved to Khartoum. She initiated tea selling by the side of the road. Unfortunately almost every day, the local police harassed her and threatened her. Unshaken by the fact that she had no legal recourse in Sudan’s male-dominated society. She was unable go to the government, so she organized and gathered local women. She assisted them speak to politicians and use the media to get attention for their burning issues.

Awadeya Mahmoud has been fearless in confronting government authorities, challenging unfair social norms, and overcoming economic obstacles.

Then the police put her in jail for four years. Ultimately the courts of Sudan said she was free. With the help of the Sudanese Development Association, an NGO, she started an organization to help the women who sell tea.

Image Credit: US Department of State & Youtube

Ms. Mahmoud is also The Founder and Chair of both the Women’s Food and Tea Sellers’ Cooperative and the Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative for Khartoum State. The cooperatives represent about 8,000 women, many of them internally displaced by conflict in Darfur and the Two Areas, who depend on selling tea and other informal sector work to survive. About Thirty years later, her continuing resolve to seek justice and equal opportunities for women remains an inspiration to women throughout Sudan.

By recognizing her great effort she received “Woman of Courage Award” from US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington in 2016.

I never hesitate to honour brave personal like these who are around the wonderful beverage “Tea”. She’s also a great example to the mankind.

View More Tea Articles + Latest News: https://www.teawithnipun.com/

References

1. US Department of State https://web.archive.org/web/20160330080648/http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2016/bio/index.htm

2. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awadeya_Mahmoud

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Nipun Wisnagalage
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Rwanda Tea Fetched Highest Price Ever in The History at Mombasa Tea Auction

African nations like Kenya, Burundi, Malawi & Rwanda are well known for their coloury, strong CTC (Cut/Tear/Curl) Black teas goes very well with milk and sugar. As Trade Mark East Africa had reported, Nyabihu Tea Factory majorly owned by Rwanda Mountain Tea Ltd, fetched a record price of US$7.22 per kg for its processed tea at the Mombasa auction, Kenya this month.

At the 45th auction of the East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA), the company’s ‘BP1 grade’ (CTC)– the highest quality – earned the highest bid two times in a row, reports New Times, Rwanda.

Thushara Pinidiya, the Director of Nyabihu Tea Factory mentioned, “We follow basic, but best principles of manufacturing. Farmers also play a big role because they supply us with tea leaves whose quality determines the quality of tea we produce.”

Image Credit: MISS ZEEEE

The recent highest bid in October at the Mombasa auction was earned by the same tea processing company at US$6.64 per kg. In October, Rwandan teas were sold to UK, Pakistani, Egyptian, Kazakhstani, Afghanistan and Middle East markets among others.

Nyabihu Tea Factory is based in the Nyabihu District, Western Province with tea plantation covering at 1,043.54 hectares. According to the National Agricultural Export Development Board, In October Rwanda sold 1,968,267 kgs of tea at an average price of US$3.07 per kilo at the Mombasa tea auction. It was followed by Kenya which sold the biggest volume of 33,971,386 kilos at an average price of US$2.33 per kilo.

The same period last year, Rwanda sold 1,708,711 kilos at an average price of US$2.72 per kilo followed by Kenya that had sold 34,098,480 Kilos at an average price of US$2.42. So both the quantity and the average price have gone up for Rwandan tea.

Nyabihu Tea Factory, Rwanda

Last year, the company sold 1.5 million kilos of tea with Thushara mentioning that they anticipate to sell 1.8 million kg and 2 million kg in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Even though I am a Sri lankan tea professional, I never restrict my site only for Ceylon Tea. It’s my great please to share tea news from Africa on behalf of poor African tea workers. I have published posts related to all most all tea origins in the world including uncommon origins like USA, UK, Netherlands etc.

Read my post on a modern green tea factory in Rwanda: http://www.teawithnipun.com/news/a-new-green-tea-factory-from-rwanda/

View More Latest Tea News + Articles: https://www.teawithnipun.com/

References 

1.Original Post: https://www.trademarkea.com/news/rwandas-tea-factory-fetches-highest-price-in-history-at-mombasa-tea-auction/

2.More About Nyabihu Tea Factory: http://rwandamountaintea.com/responsive/english/group-companies/article/nyabihu-tea-factory?lang=en