The Mombasa Tea Auction reduced the volumes of unsold tea by more than half in 2025 to maintain a minimum average volume in line with international market standards. And Rwandan tea sold at the auction maintained the highest prices the whole year, data shows. According to data from the East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA), the volume of tea sold dropped to 428.2 million kilos in 2025, a decline from the 462.1 million kilos sold in 2024. In 2025, a total of 573.7 million kilos were offered for sale, compared to 893.8 million offered in the previous year. EATTA managing director George Omuga said that last year, 48 per cent of tea remained unsold, compared with 25 per cent this year.“We have seen significant progress in ensuring most of our tea is sold, which will benefit farmers,” said Mr Omuga. “Last year, we struggled with high volumes of unsold stock that negatively impacted the tea auction.” Several interventions have successfully reduced unsold tea volumes, most notably the October 2024 suspension of the minimum reserve price, which had previously caused a significant accumulation of stock. In 2021, Kenya introduced a minimum reserve price of $2.43 per kilogram for tea sold by Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) at the Mombasa auction to protect smallholder farmers from low earnings. During the year, the average price per kilo did not change much, trading at $2.05 from $2.06 in 2024. Throughout the year, Rwandan tea fetched the highest price, at an average of $3.24, followed by Kenyan tea, at an average of 2.18, Tanzanian ($1.31) Burundian ($1.42), and Ugandan ($1.08).In 2025, the volume of tea traded at the Mombasa Tea Auction declined significantly due to stalled exports to key markets in Sudan and Iran, which negatively impacted business at the auction. Tea dealers attribute this year’s business decline to the Kenyan government’s slow response in resolving diplomatic friction with Sudan and Iran, a delay that is severely impacting smallscale farmers. Peter Kimanga, one of the tea dealers, said Sudan has a unique market, as it imports specific tea grades that are not easily absorbed by other markets. Mr Kimanga said that apart from seeking other markets, the government should engage the Sudanese authorities to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and traders who depend on tea exports.As the Sudan ban extends past the window to clear existing supply, Kenyan farmers reel from threatened bonuses and livelihoods, despite tea traders holding valid contracts that can’t be fulfilled,” Mr Kimanga said. Iran has renewed its commitment to strengthen trade relations, with Kenyan tea exports to Iran reaching $33 million in 2024. Nairobi has been courting Iran to become one of the major consumers of Kenya’s tea and has held sales exhibitions in Tehran to woo buyers. Iran has a large population of more than 80 million people with a per capita tea consumption of 1.4 kilos against half a kilo for Kenyans. The country imports more than 100 million kilogrammes of tea, with Kenya supplying about 20 million kilos annually. Pakistan is the biggest consumer of Kenyan tea, buying more than 40 percent of the total beverage produced in Kenya, earning the country about Ksh50 billion ($387.75 million) a year.Meanwhile, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates are other major markets for Kenya’s tea exports. (ICE NAIROBI)

Fonte notizia: The EastAfrican