PRODUCTION -3 ::

INDIA PRODUCED 16 MKG LESS IN 2014

BY P S SUNDAR

It is now official.  Tea Board of India has just released the December 2014 production data.  And, our compilation corroborates what we have been predicting almost three months ago – that the output in calendar 2014 would hover around 1183 million kg (mkg) as the production totalled 1185 mkg.  Even in my post 'PRODUCTION - 2' in this blog on January 19, 2015, I had projected 1183 mkg. 

For the first time in recent years, India’s tea production has fallen below the previous year. “This has happened in calendar 2014.  The country’s overall production has fallen to 1184.80 million kg (mkg) from 1200.41 mkg in 2013”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler and publisher of ‘Global Tea Digest 2014’ told me.  

Still, it is the second highest production in India’s tea history.   The country crossed 1,000-mkg-mark for the first time in 2011 when production soared to 1116 mkg.  Production rose further to 1126 mkg in 2012 and to 1200 mkg in 2013.   But, in 2014, production has fallen by 15.61 mkg over the all-time high output of 2013.

The biggest loss came from North India while South India lost just marginally.  North India contributed to 15 mkg fall and South India, 0.61 mkg fall.

North India’s production dropped to 943.62 mkg from 958.62 mkg.  Assam continued to top India’s tea table but its production fell to 589.77 mkg from 621.87 mkg. West Bengal, however, posted an increase in production to 329.31 mkg from 312.88 mkg.

South India’s output dropped marginally to 241.18 mkg from 241.79 mkg.  Here, Tamil Nadu was the only state to produce a lower output.  Its production dropped to 168.93 mkg from 173.36 mkg.   Kerala’s output rose to 65.52 mkg from 62.84 mkg.

Collectively, some highlights of Indian tea production in 2014 ::

# Assam Valley pulled down the production  by as much as 35 mkg -- the highest loss suffered by any producing region in the country;  and because Cachar produced 2.90 mkg more, collectively, Assam's production was down by 32.10 mkg -- also the highest loss for any state. 

# it was not a good year also for Darjeeling tea, hailed as the champagne by the tea world, as production was 0.62 mkg less than 2013. 

# Adverse weather is said to be main culprit 

# Cachar, Dooars and Terai tea hubs as also the states of  Kerala and Karnataka produced more tea than 2013.

# India, Malawi and Uganda were the only countries where production fell in 2014 over the previous year.  Still, unlike India, Malawi and Uganda lost only a marginal volume.