July 5 (Bloomberg) -- The benchmark price of tea in Malawi, Africa’s largest producer of the crop after Kenya, rose as quality improved, according to Tea Brokers Central Africa, which manages the nation’s tea sales.

The top grade tea, known as pekoe fannings, fetched $2.53 a kilogram (2.2 pounds) at a sale in the commercial capital, Blantyre, today, compared with $2.52 a week ago, Tea Brokers said in an e-mailed report.

Farmers raised $129,873 selling 94,880 kilograms of various grades of the leaf, compared with $125,952 from 76,160 kilograms a week earlier, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Frank Jomo in Blantyre at fjomo@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Gordon Bell at gbell16@bloomberg.net