WHO WE ARE
Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa is a not-for-profit organisation funded entirely by its members through a cess per unit kilogram of made tea. TRFCA was registered as a trust in 1966. Malawi tea growers are the current members.
The Foundation develops improved tea production technologies and disseminates them to its member. TRFCA has released a total of 36 improved tea cultivars for commercial use, of which 26 are field cultivars and 10 are rootstock cultivars.
Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa (TRFCA) is a not-for-profit organisation with the core responsibility of developing improved tea production technologies and disseminating them to its members. The Foundation is entirely funded by its members through a cess per kilogram of made tea. Malawi tea growers are currently the only members of TRFCA. The genesis of tea research in Malawi dates back to 1929 when the Nyasaland Tea Research Association (NTRA) was formed.
The initial research investigation was launched on what was thought to be a disease, termed ‘tea yellows’ but was later discovered to be a problem of sulphur deficiency. With time the research focus expanded into the areas of agronomy, breeding, horticulture, plant pathology and entomology, biochemistry and processing.
The initial research investigation was launched on what was thought to be a disease, termed ‘tea yellows’ but was later discovered to be a problem of sulphur deficiency. With time the research focus expanded into the areas of agronomy, breeding, horticulture, plant pathology and entomology, biochemistry and processing.