Global Tea Market Snapshot – Week 29

Victoria Vox Team
Jul 17
2 min read

🇰🇪 Kenya – Good General Demand Despite Reprint Overhang

The Mombasa auction saw 219,940 packages on offer—up from the previous week—with 46% remaining unsold, largely due to reprints and reserve price mismatches.🔹 BP1s: Strong interest for flavory, dry-season teas; sold firm to dearer depending on quality.🔹 PF1s: High demand across KTDA grades; many exceeded reserve prices.🔹 Dust Grades: Better PD/D1 types held steady; plainer sorts showed irregular demand.🔹 Key Buyers: Pakistan, CIS, Afghanistan, Yemen, UK, and Egypt. Sudan remained absent.🔹 Market Outlook: Fresh availability is declining seasonally. Demand selective but improving.🔹 Weather: Rainfall continued; cloudier East of Rift, steady crop in West.

🇲🇼 Malawi – Steady Demand in Thyolo and Mulanje

📦 4,300 packages on offer.🔹 BP1s: Selective demand, 3–5 USC easier.🔹 PF1s (Seedlings & SC): Good demand, steady to dearer.🔹 PDs/D1s: Mostly neglected.🔹 Offgrades: Firm to dearer demand for FNGS; Dust grades limited.🔹 Weather: Sunny mornings, cloudy afternoons, isolated showers.🔹 Crop: Seasonally low but of good quality.

🌍 Other African Origins

🇺🇬 Uganda: Demand improving; quality slightly better; stable crop.
🇧🇮 Burundi: Better availability, but quality irregular; many lots withdrawn.
🇷🇼 Rwanda: Strong performance; good cup quality and leaf appearance; dry season reducing future supply.
🇹🇿 Tanzania: Lower availability; demand steady at irregular rates.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka – Buoyant Market with Selective Gains

📦 Auction volume: 6.314 million kgs🔹 Ex-Estate:

BOP up 20–40 USC, BOPF up 10–20 USC
Nuwara Eliya BOPs/BOPFs unsold
Uva BOPs down 20 USC; BOPF up 10 USC🔹 CTC: Low-grown PF1s +10 USC; BP1s mostly unsold🔹 Leafy Grades: OP1 Select Best gained 70 USC; broader range mixed🔹 Dusts: High Grown +10–20 USC; Secondary +8–12 USC🔹 Premium Teas: Long-tipped varieties +8–10 USC🔹 Outlook: Steady demand with regional price improvements.

🇮🇳 India – Fair Demand with Regional Variations

🔸 South India:

CTC Dusts firm to dearer for good liquoring teas
Leaf markets easier or irregular
Orthodox leaf grades mixed but high-grown sorts slightly dearer
Exporters and Middle East/CIS active🔸 North India:
Orthodox teas had strong demand, especially tippy and GFOP varieties
CTC Leaf & Dust markets mixed; premium Assam teas steady🔹 Market Note: Iranian imports resume amid fragile ceasefire.

🇮🇩 Indonesia – Fair Demand, Limited Availability

📦 5,400 packages on offer; 18% unsold🔹 West Java: Low availability of broken grades; weak demand🔹 Sumatra: Better volumes well absorbed by local and regional buyers (Malaysia, China, Singapore)🔹 CTCs: Offered in small volumes; mainly offgrades🔹 Weather: Heavy rainfall in West Java; dry spells in Central/East Java and Sumatra

📊 Market Insights – Key Stats

Metric	Week 28	Week 29
Mombasa Auction Volume	195,120	219,940
Blantyre (Malawi)	3,760	4,300
Colombo (Sri Lanka)	12,002	12,448
Kolkata (India)	148,793	169,947
Jakarta (Indonesia)	4,260	5,400

📈 Average Global Auction Price: USD 1.97/kg (up 2 cents from last week)📉 Kenya’s Cumulative Output (Jan–Apr 2025): 188.7 million kg (↓15% YoY)

🔮 Outlook

Market sentiment is cautiously optimistic. While volumes are below seasonal norms, improving quality and selective buyer activity could push prices higher—particularly as fresh tea availability continues to decline and reprint levels remain high.