Uganda

Recent developments in Uganda have tea producers worried about the quality of tea being grown. They claim that growers increasingly show more concern for quantity rather than quality. Most growers name the absence of a regulatory organization as the main reason for quality decline.
The current situation results in completely unregulated competition since each of the 30 tea factories in Uganda uses its own grading and standards.

The lack of unified standards and even more importantly, no official body to enforce them, naturally tempts tea producers to cut corners.
Unreliable quality has already resulted in a decline of popularity of teas from Uganda on the world market and there is mounting concern for the future as tea producers increasingly call on the government to regulate the industry.
Furthermore, many Ugandan farmers have felt a negative effect on their business from high commodity prices and poor infrastructure, which pose additional obstacles to proper tea production.