March 20, 2002	Wednesday	Muharram 5, 1423

MOMBASA, March 19: Tea prices at the Mombasa auction were mixed on Monday as demand improved from last week’s trading, Africa Tea Brokers (ATB) said in a market report released here on Tuesday.

“Trading was mixed with the active participation of important buyers at the auction,” a trader said. All traditional major buyers, including Pakistan, Egypt and Afghanistan were active, but the United Kingdom was slightly withdrawn, another trader said.

The ATB said prices rose up by high margins of up to 40 US cents above previous rates.

“Brighter BP1s were firm, with selected well made descriptions advancing by up to 34 cents to sell at between $1.90 and $1.92 per kg,” the ATB report said.—AFP