Tea production to drop

Malawi's tea production for the 1999/2000 season is expected to drop by about six percent from last year's output because of erratic rain patterns in major tea growing areas. Tea estates in southern Malawi have harvested 9.3 million kg of tea since March compared to the 9.9 million kg in the same period last year, PANA reported. Dry spells at the beginning of the planting season in November has affected both the quality and quantity of tea leaves. Malawi was this year expected to produce 45 million kg of tea compared to 43.9 million kg it produced last year, according to the country's National Economic Council. Malawi's tea is the second highest foreign exchange earner after tobacco. The tea leaves, exported mostly to Britain, last year earned the country nearly US $26 million.