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INDIA’S TEA PRODUCTION IN 2016 SOARS TO ALL-TIME HIGH LEVEL

BY P S SUNDAR

India has created a new record in tea production in calendar 2016.

The country which has been posting higher production year after year has reached an all-time high of 1,239.15 million kg (mkg) in 2016.

“Tea Board has just now released the production data for December 2016 as 62.74 mkg against 57.29 mkg in December 2015.  This increase of 5.45 mkg marked a growth of 9.51 per cent”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of Global Tea Digest 2016 told me.

This helped the overall production to remain higher than 2015 overcoming the shortfalls in some months.

“The overall production in 2016 rose to 1,239.15 mkg from 1,208.66 mkg in 2015.  This increase of 30.49 mkg marked a growth of 2.5 per cent”, Gupta noted.

This increase of 30.49 mkg has been the highest increase over the previous year in the recent past because although production has been reaching new records year after year, the rise has been only marginal over the previous years.

This is despite South India producing a lower volume in 2016 than in 2015 because of a significant increase in North Indian output.

North Indian production rose to 1,026.94 mkg from 981.09 mkg, marking a five per cent growth.  Assam continued to top Indian production table at 642.18 mkg (up 2 per cent) followed by West Bengal 357.47 mkg (up 10 per cent).   Darjeeling, however, posted a seven per cent decline to dip to 8.13 mkg.

South Indian output fell by seven per cent to 212.21 mkg from 227.57 mkg due to adverse weather for most part of 2016.   Tamil Nadu lost 11 per cent to dip to 145.41 mkg from 163.09 mkg.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)