Tea output seen declining in 2023
Tea production is expected to decline by seven percent to 47 million kilogrammes (kg) this year from 51 million kg produced last season, the Tea Research Foundation (TRF) has said.
The projected drop is attributed to change in weather patterns and a slump in international market demand.
TRF Chief Executive Officer Tonda Chinangwa has since called on stakeholders to work towards increasing the production base while using new and high yielding varieties.
He was speaking on Tuesday in Mulanje District when the firm oriented estate managers and smallholder farmers on new technologies and tea varieties TRF is developing.
“If the demand increases, we could be able to produce more. The other factor is land, at the moment land for producing tea is limited.
“We are competing with other crops such as macadamia. Therefore, we do not have land that we can continue to expand,” Chinangwa said.
A worker at Eastern Produce Malawi Salani John Njaya said the tea industry continues to face a number of challenges including high cost of inputs.
“The cost of fertilizer, especially this season, has rocketed. Also climate change has equally affected production,” Njaya said.
Malawi is the second-largest tea producer in Africa and is home to the oldest tea plantations on the continent.
