As the tea value chain continues to suffer setbacks, a cross-section of stakeholders in the Green Gold Trade have turned guns against individual processors and middlemen, accusing them of being the force behind the crisis.
Uganda’s tea industry has suffered a major blow from low prices since July 2023, with farmers getting as little as Shs100–150 per kilogram.
Although the falling prices have been attributed largely to several factors, such as instability in the tea-consuming countries and low quality of green leaf due to high production costs, some individuals say they have been let down by private players.
Tea growers in Bushenyi tea growing zone accuse private processors like Global Village Tea Factory, run by politician and businessman Hassan Basajabalaba, of adding salt to the existing injury by exploiting farmers with lower prices and laying off hundreds of employees.
Nicolas Ajuna Kafurembe, a tea farmer in Kakanju sub-county, Bushenyi District, while speaking to Endigyito radio said private players have used the crisis as an opportunity to trade cheaply to the detriment of already stressed tea growers.
The Igara Growers Tea Factory’s acting General Manager, Robert Nayebare, said while they pay a higher price to sustain the business and avoid exploitation of farmers during the crisis, private players have taken advantage of the situation.
While responding to the accusations, the Global Village Tea Factory deputy general manager in charge of green leaf mobilisation and customer care, George Arinaitwe, denied the accusations, saying the counterarguments were insincere.
