Kenyan tea prices were mixed at Tuesday's auction, with top grades slightly firming as dealers sought better quality leaves, traders said. The ATB said the quantity of tea on offer continued to drop and that quality was now very mixed. The official said the continued drop in supply was because of bad weather in Kenya's tea-growing regions.
Quantities of tea on offer at the auction in the port city of Mombasa fell slightly to 74,815 packages from 76,920 the previous week, ATB said.
The ATB said the Pakistan Blenders and Britain each put in strong bids, but bought very selectively. Traders said Afghanistan and Somalia were less active while demand from Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries had increased.
Demand from Russia and Eastern Europe was flat on last week, traders said.
The ATB said that of the 74,815 packages on offer, 6,888 remained unsold at the end of the auction.