Malawi tea production up – Report
Malawi’s team production has risen by 3.71 million kilogrammes in the month of January reaching 8.21 million kg with prospects of reaching more in the month of February and March.
Global Tea Digest states that tea production date for January Malawi and Bangladesh have risen by 46.72 percent over the same period last year.
“These are the only two countries for which January date is available and they collectively post a total of 10.71 million kg against 7.3 million kg in January 2013,” said Rajesh Gupta, publisher of annual Global Tea Digest.
The report says the output for the month of February is expected to be higher than that of January after favourable weather conditions.
“Even in February weather was comfortably hot and wet in tea growing areas and that factories were functioning to full capacity. This means February and March output are also likely to be high,” Gupta says.
The report says Kenya is also heading for higher production as the leaf intake in factories has increased following heavy rains in Central highlands while weather is dry in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia is also producing more although exporters are complaining of inadequate quality strengths while in India, South continues to produce but most factories in North are facing winter closure.
Tea is the second largest foreign exchange earner in Malawi after tobacco.
With the world anti-smoking lobby threatening tobacco’s future tea is touted as one of the cash crops to take over.
