PRODUCTION -- 24

RAIN INSTILS HOPES FOR BETTER MAY 

BY P S SUNDAR

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 pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

FOR THE RECORD -- 32:

TEA BOARD LAUNCHES SMS SCHEME 

BY P S SUNDAR

Taking Prime Minister’s ‘Digital India’ concept forward, Tea Board has launched a massive scheme titled ‘SMS Gateway for Small Growers’.

“This will connect 25,000 registered small growers with Tea Board on a regular basis as five SMS will be sent to them every month from now”, Nilgiris Collector Dr P Sankar who launched the scheme told me.

“The SMS will relate to area-specific vital issues including average price they should get from the factories for the green leaf they supply, pest and disease management, quality maintenance and subsidies”, Tea Board Executive Director Paulrasu said.

“We will also link it with banks to help growers get their monies in time”, Tea Board Deputy Director Hariprakash Nair said.

“This will be of immense benefit to growers”, noted Tea Board Vice Chairman D Hegde.

Interestingly, Nilgiris Collector Dr P Sankar has complimented the bought-leaf factories for paying the announced average price without fail.

“There used to be cases of default with some factories not paying the average price fixed by Tea Board to the small growers for the green leaf purchased from them.  Even some co-operative factories, Indco factories, had failed to adhere to this”, he told me.

“We had taken necessary steps and in the last four months, there has been no case of such default at all.  Factories should not produce reconditioned tea and growers should pluck only quality leaves”, he advised.

Among the first SMS Tea Board sent to growers and factory owners was its announcement of Rs 17 per kg as average green leaf price to be paid to growers by bought-leaf factories in The Nilgiris district during April.

 

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PRODUCTION -- 23:

INDIA’S TEA PRODUCTION DOWN 7%

P S SUNDAR

                     Drought is taking a toll on India’s tea production with the output trailing behind last year.  If this trend continues, for the first time in recent years, India will report a lower output than the previous year.

While India posted an increase of six per cent in production in January over January 2016, February was a dry month resulting in all producing regions in the country reporting a lower output than in February 2016.

“Tea Board has just released February data which shows that South India produced 11.55 million kg (mkg) – down by 22 per cent over February 2016 – and North India 1.99 mkg – down by 13 per cent.  Collectively, India’s production was down by 21 per cent to total 13.54 mkg”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of annual Global Tea Digest told me.

This has pulled down the cumulative output so far.   “Our compilation shows that in the two months, India’s output dropped to 32.53 mkg from 35.08 mkg.  This fall of 2.55 mkg marked a decline of seven per cent”, Rajesh Gupta disclosed.

However, helped by higher production in January, North India’s production in the two months increased by 39 per cent to reach 7.85 mkg.

On the contrary, South India suffered 16 per cent loss to dip to 24.68 mkg.  As the output in North India is yet to gain momentum after the winter closures, Tamil Nadu continues to top the country’s production table at 17.66 mkg (down by 11 per cent).  Kerala lost 2.39 mkg to dip to 6.39 mkg.

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

FOR THE RECORD -- 31:

TEA INDUSTRY BEING REFORMED ..

INDIA'S TEA PRODUCTION RISING ..

BUT EXPORTS FALLING..

RISING EARNINGS AT THE AUCTIONS..

DARMONA FACTORY CREATING NEW RECORD..

HEGDE TAKING OVER AS VICE CHAIRMAN OF TEA BOARD ..

(articles in The Assam Review and Tea News, March 2017)

BY P S SUNDAR 

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

PRICES -- 8:

TEA BOARD FIXES ` 17/KG GREEN LEAF AVERAGE PRICE

P S SUNDAR

Tea Board has fixed ` 17 a kg as average price for green leaf to be paid to growers by bought-leaf factories in the Nilgiris district during April.

“All Bought-leaf factories in Nilgiris are advised to adhere to this average price while buying green leaf from the farmers. All field officials of Tea Board will ensure that no factory in their jurisdiction pays less than this average price”, Tea Board’s Factory Advisor Rakesh Taluru said.

This is the third consecutive month that the average price has been fixed at ` 17 a kg. This time last year, the average price was ` 14.50 a kg. The highest price in 2016 was ` 16.50 in May which tapered to ` 15 to 15.50 in subsequent months. It has been a meteoric rise since Dec 2015 when the average price was Rs 12.50.

The average price for green leaf, the raw material for factories, has been fixed high because the tea manufactured with such green leaf has been fetching higher prices at the auctions.

Since November 2016, the average price of black tea at the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA) is ruling above ` 100 per kg. In the 53 years of CTTA, average prices had risen over ` 100/kg only on sporadic occasions but now, it is consistently above this level for some months.

“But bought-leaf factories are facing shortage of green leaf due to drought. Factories are working only for five days a week resulting in lower production and concomitant lower earnings despite price rise”, CTTA Chairman Ramesh Bhojarajan told me.

“The arrival of tea to the auction has been low because of reduced manufacture. To that extent, farmers’ income has also come down due to lower harvest despite higher average price”, he added.

85% TEA SOLD

Meanwhile, about 85 per cent of the 9.43 lakh kg offered for Sale No: 13 of Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA) auctions was absorbed with average price raising to ` 107.47 a kg from previous week’s ` 106.87

Homedale Estate’s Broken Orange Pekoe, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers topped the Leaf auctions and the entire CTC market when Sree Sai Corporation bought it for ` 246 a kg. Darmona Estate’s Broken Pekoe (` 236) and Homedale Estate’s Broken Pekoe, auctioned by Global tea Brokers (` 220) followed it.

In the CTC Dust tea auction, Homedale Estate’s Super Red Dust, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers, topped at ` 215.

In the orthodox market, Chamraj topped at ` 256 a kg followed by Kodanad at ` 246.

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FOR THE RECORD -- 30:

DID YOU KNOW YOUR CUP OF TEA HAS SO MANY DESCRIPTIONS?

P S SUNDAR

                   ‘Fruity Tea’ may mean a sweet fruit fragrance in tea to you but for a professional tea taster, it means ‘Unpleasant Over-ripe taste’ – and the tea may either be rejected or shunted for a lower price in the market.

This and many other terms describing the liquor of tea around the world by professionals have been listed in ‘Global Tea Digest 2016’, (GTD) the latest edition from the house of Global Tea Brokers, tea tasters and auctioneers.

“The terminologies used to describe dry leaf, infused leaf and liquor are as fascinating as the tea beverage and so, we have listed them in GTD”, Rajesh Gupta, GTD compiler and publisher told me.

New tea is also not all that welcome as the liquor has not had sufficient time to mellow.

‘Nose tea’ means the liquor is fragrant  and ‘malty’ is desirable character. ‘Biscutty’ also means pleasant character in the liquor.   But ‘Bouquet’ refers to superlative flavour !

‘Burn’ is fully fired but ‘Burnt’ means the tea was subject to extreme high temperature and so, loses its high value. In between is ‘dry tea’ where the liquor is ‘slightly high-fired’!  ‘Fully fired’ means slightly over-fired!

‘Muscatel’ refers to the desirable character especially in Darjeeling tea – grapy taste reminiscent in vineyards. 

Green tea must be pale but other teas looking pale means lack of colour!

Pungent is not always unwelcome because it is an ideal combination of briskness, brightness, strength and flavour.

Self-drinking liquor is palatable in itself not requiring blending.

And, when you are tired, you can drink tea to refresh but a tired’ liquor means flat tea, not welcome!

photo:
Global Tea Digest 2016 release  --  (left to right):  Mohamed Iqbal (Chairman, Nilgiris Planters' Association), Rakesh Kumar Jagenia IFS (TANTEA GM), Rakesh Gupta (Diector, Global Tea Brokers -- GTB), Rajesh Gupta (MD, GTB and publisher, GTD), H P Gupa (GTB Chairman) and Dr Rajeev Srivastava IFS (TANTEA MD)

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