PRODUCTION - 2 :: 

INDIA PRODUCED LOWER TEA IN 2014

BY P S SUNDAR

                      India’s tea production in 2014 is now estimated to be some 17 million kg (mkg) lower than 2013.

This was the first time in recent years that India’s production had fallen over a previous year. 

“Tea Board’s official data has come up to November 2014. Our compilation places India’s tea production in the 11 months at 1127.21 mkg against 1143.27 mkg during Jan-Nov 2013”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of ‘Global Tea Digest 2014’ told me.

Assam continued to top the country’s tea table.   “Assam produced 570.59 mkg but that was as much as 30.69 mkg less than 2013.  West Bengal gained 14.22 mkg to rise to 309.30 mkg but here, Darjeeling produced just 8.40 mkg -- as much as 18.29 mkg less than Jan-Nov 2013.  Overall, North Indian production dropped by 15.80 mkg to dip to 903.55 mkg”, Rajesh Gupta, said.

“In the South, Tamil Nadu produced the highest volume of 157.25 mkg but that was 4.41 mkg lower than Jan-Nov 2013.   Kerala produced 3.01 mkg more to reach 60.16 mkg.   Overall, South India lost 0.26 mkg to produce 223.66 mkg”, he said.

Preliminary estimates show that December production was also less.   In Nilgiris, production was down by 5.8 per cent compared to December 2013.   While Coonoor and Kullakamby regions reported marginally low production, Kundah and Ooty zones suffered higher crop loss due to low temperature.

As of now, industry sources estimate production in 2014 at 1183 mkg against 1200 mkg in 2013.