Rwanda's tea production rose by 21 percent to 12.9 million kg in the first seven months of 2007 due to good rains, the Tea Board said on Friday. The tiny central African country recorded 10.7 million kg of tea in the first seven months of 2006.
"We have had no harsh weather this year... The rains that we recorded in first quarter were sufficient," said Francesca Tengera, head of strategic management and planning at the official Rwanda Tea Board. Tengera also attributed the rise in output to increased use of fertilisers on the tea farms during 2007. "We have been very strict, ensuring that fertilisers are not diverted for any other use but properly applied in tea plantations," Tengera told Reuters.
Increased production, however, led to a reduction in the average price of the crop to $1.69 in per kg in the first seven months of 2007 compared to $2.04 earned in 2006.