Commodities

Covid logistic hurdles lock seven countries out of tea auction

auction

Mombasa Tea Auction in session. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Seven countries are yet to resume trading at the Mombasa Tea Auction after their supplies were cut short by logistical challenges brought about by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

The auction manager East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) used to trade tea from at least 12 African countries before the pandemic but the number of participating states has fallen to five.

The teas from Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and DRC Congo are among those that have not been trading at the Mombasa auction for the last two years.

The pandemic has had a negative impact on the movement of cargo to and from the Port of Mombasa, keeping out the commodity from other regions.

“These teas from other countries have not been coming to the auction since 2020 because of the effects of Covid-19 that impacted on logistics,” said Edward Mudibo, the managing director of EATTA.

Ethiopia, which is the only country from the Horn of Africa region that has been supplying tea at the Mombasa auction has been on and off in the weekly trading.

Producers from as far as New Guinea and Indonesia have also expressed their interest to join the association and have their teas offered in the Mombasa auction.

Mombasa is now the only auction centre in the world trading in straight-line teas (unblended) from more than one country.

The impact of Covid-19 was also felt on tea exports from Kenya in 2020 with the Tea Directorate indicating that the volume exported to the world market dropped by six million kilos in the first five months of that year.

This marked one of the sharpest drops in export volumes in recent years.

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