MOZAMBIQUE SUFFERS DECLINE IN TEA PRODUCTION

Mozambican tea growers are not exploiting the national market, which is dominated by the South African brand “Five Roses”. As a result, more than 90 per cent of tea grown in Mozambique is exported.The lack of a national brand is part of the reason why tea production in the central province of Zambezia is falling. Currently, Zambezia has only four companies dedicated to the growing and processing of tea.Almeida Lee of Chazeiras de Mocambique, who is the representative of the Association of Tea Producers, told the newspaper “Diario de Mocambique” that Zambezia province only produces 6,000 tonnes of tea per harvest.Almeida Lee explained that his company produced a thousand tonnes of tea in the latest harvest. However, in the previous harvest the company produced 1,200 tonnes.Lee believes that the decline is due to the ageing of the tea plants, which need to be renewed to improve productivity and quality.He pointed out that in the district of Gurue a hectare should produce a minimum of 1,200 kilogrammes of tea. However, the reality is that a hectare is now producing 1,000 kilogrammes, or often even half of that.Lee lamented that climatic conditions have negatively affected production in Gurue. Last year production suffered from a lack of rain, a situation that may become more common as a result of climate change.Most companies claim that they are not able to finance replanting because of the large investment required.Lee stated that “it is recommended that each company renew at least ten hectares of plantation per year. But we do not have the capacity to do that”. He explained that the replacing tea plants costs around 15,000 US dollars per hectare, which requires 20,000 plants.In Zambezia province tea is grown in the highlands, particularly in the mountains of Gurue and the administrative post of Socone, in Ile district.