TEA growers are this year expecting to produce 19 000 tonnes of the crop as the sector continues to make a comeback, Tea Growers Association chairman Paul Spear has said.
“Peak production for tea was around 1999/2000 when 23 000 tonnes was produced. However, this declined to 7 300 tonnes in 2009 after the hyperinflation era. Since then, there has been a recovery to a point that this season, production will be close to 19 000 tonnes,” Spear said.
He highlighted that along the way, Katiyo and Rosalind tea factories closed and that there have been consolidations now from a peak of 13 factories to only nine operating today.
“The main challenges facing the sector are erratic power supplies, especially during summer when production is highest, and the poor road infrastructure and maintenance of the Birchenough weight restriction as well as the poor road via Chisumbanje, which is an issue for exports through Durban,” said Spears. He called on government to provide reliable services, saying there had, however, been some activity in this regard.
In terms of capacity, Spears said it had been fully utilised due to the high production.
“Tea should not be looked at in isolation, though rather look at the environment and the options that a grower has in terms of crops. Tea is one, but there are others and a certain amount of diversification is already taking place,” he said.
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