Kenya tea prices were mostly eased at this week's auction due to reduced demand from some participants, traders said on Wednesday. Mombasa-based Africa Tea Brokers (ATB) said 125,296 packages were offered at this week's auction with 14,692 unsold.
At the previous sale 121,165 packages were offered, with 12,961 unsold. Best BP1s fetched $2.82-$3.46 per kg compared with $2.82-$3.49 per kg at last week's auction. Best PF1s sold at $1.74-$2.29 per kg, compared with $1.81-$2.20 per kg attained last week. "The top end of the market came down while the bottom was about firm," said a trader with a leading export company.
ATB said that Pakistan Packers and Bazaar, Sudan and the United Kingdom bought more tea than at last week's auction. Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries, Egyptian Packers, Russia and Kazakhstan bought similar quantities as last week, while the Egyptian Government Sector, Afghanistan and Sudan bought less tea than last week, ATB added. Kenya is one of the world's top three producers of black tea, along with India and Sri Lanka.