- Competition with unwanted weeds for plant nutrients leading to poor quality produce.
- Pests e.g. aphids which destroy the crop leaves leading to losses.
- Diseases e.g. root fungus disease which leads to poor quality output.
- Inadequate capital yet expensive machinery is used in tea processing.
- Scarcity of labour to do the plucking during the harvesting period.
- Competition with other countries producing cigarettes e.g. Marlboro and Rex from USA.
- Limited land for tea plantations due to ever increasing population.
- Soil exhaustion due to monoculture leading to low and poor quality yields.
- Unstable prices leading to price fluctuation on the world market which demoralizes the farmers.
- Natural hazards e.g. hailstorms which destroy large parts of plantations leading to low output.
- Dangerous animals e.g. snakes, which attack the workers hence scaring them away.
- Inadequate storage facilities which leads to losses due to rotting and destruction by pests.
- Transport problems in some areas due to dilapidated roads which cause spoilage of harvested tea before it reaches the factory.
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