McLeod Russel, Dhunseri plan tea estates in Africa

KOLKATA: Big tea companies such as McLeod Russel India Ltd and Dhunseri Tea are eyeing tea estates in Africa owned by individual owners to boost their production overseas.

With no tea estates on the block in India, these companies are looking to Africa as teas from the country, particularly Kenya, are comparable to Assam teas and are accepted globally. Negotiations are on with garden owners in east Africa and if everything goes well, then a deal could possibly be clinched in the next two-three months, said people familiar with the developments.

McLeod Russel already owns five tea estates in Uganda and two in Rwanda in east Africa while Dhunseri Tea is the largest tea producer in Malawi. “Our endeavour is to increase our presence in the African region, and whenever a proposal comes up, we will look into it and take a final call if it fits into our business strategy,” Aditya Khaitan, managing director, McLeod Russel, told ET.