Tea Producers Call for Climate-Resilient Strategies in Production
PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NMG
Malawi — Associations of tea producers in Africa and Asia have called for a collaborative effort in the global tea industry to embrace climate-resilient production methods in tea-growing countries to sustain the sector’s development.
They made this observation during a meeting on the sustainability of the global tea sector in Dubai, UAE, after noting that the climate crisis is contributing to declining tea quality globally.
Numerous research studies have shown that temperature, heavy rainfall events, an increase in pests and diseases, and droughts have historically and will continue to impact the quality and yield of tea. As a result, tea producers will need to introduce additional measures to continue to meet international tea demand, which could have additional production costs.
Research by Future Climate Africa indicates that current climate variability routinely influences tea production in Africa, with extreme weather resulting in yield losses.
It further states that the growing impacts of climate change on tea plantations could significantly affect the productivity of tea plants and the quality of tea leaves within Africa’s growing regions of Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda.
“The worsening effects of climate change, such as droughts, dry spells, and floods, are affecting the tea sector globally. There is a need for concerted efforts to build our resilience. We have to allocate resources for awareness of best practices that will help us mitigate the climate crisis,” said Arthur Sewe, chairperson of the East Africa Tea Trade Association.
Sewe emphasized the urgent need to develop institutional capacity for climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning in tea-producing countries, especially East Africa, which is facing a decline in tea quality and high production costs because of climate change.
Africa is the world’s largest tea-producing region, accounting for over 30% of global production.
In 2020, Kenya was the highest in Africa (and globally) with an output of 570,000 mt, up 50% over the past 10 years.
Uganda follows with an output of 66,400 mt in 2020, up 23% since 2011. Malawi ranks third with an output of 45,200 mt, down by 4% over the last 10 years due to adverse weather conditions.
Sangwani Hara, chairperson of the Malawi Tea Association, emphasized that enhanced resilience to the climate crisis is key to improving levels of tea production. “By equipping farmers with the best methods, they will also stop uprooting tea—a habit that affects tea quality—to promote a quality drive that will increase tea consumption and regulate new tea plantations,” he said.
Hemant Bangur, chairperson of the Indian Tea Association, noted that apart from quality, there is a need for collaborative efforts to restore demand and supply equilibrium and the long-term sustainability of the tea sector globally.
“Climate change affects the sector economically and environmentally, making it difficult for tea-producing countries to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in the global tea sector. The declining value of produce threatens the livelihood of millions,” he added.
The economic recession and geopolitical challenges in traditional bulk tea export markets have been major factors in tea price volatility.
Tea prices and trade have been affected by the Russia-Ukraine War, with the Russian Federation being the largest importer of Indian Tea, the third-largest importer of Sri Lankan Tea, and the fifth-largest importer of Kenyan Tea.
The conflicts in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have also affected tea buying and export challenges due to increased logistics costs and shipping disruption, thereby diminishing producers’ returns and affecting millions of smallholder tea farmers’ households.
BY TEMWA MHONE
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