PRODUCTION -- 30:
THE NILGIRIS TEA PRODUCTION RISES 13%
IN OCT
P S SUNDAR
Tea plantation
companies in The Nilgiris, the largest tea growing district in South India,
have informed the Tea Board that their production in October rose by 12.84 per
cent compared to October 2017.
Good rainfall and favourable
sunshine hours led to higher harvest in many plantations in the district.
Consequently, plantation companies
have reported to Tea Board that their production in October rose to 1.67
million kg (mkg) from 1.48 mkg.
The production in October was
15.97 per cent more than the normal measured by the five-year mean for the
month which was 1.44 mkg.
The cumulative production in the
ten months of the current calendar was 13.45 mkg against 13.34 mkg in Jan-Oct
2017, posting a marginal gain of 0.82 per cent.
However, this was 8.12 per cent
more than the normal as measured by the five-year mean for the ten months which
was 12.44 mkg.
There was delay in the arrival of
North East monsoon but this has also helped the production, especially in
November.
“Even as we are stepping into
December, the North East monsoon has not come with force. But, there have been periodical showers along
with helpful sunshine hours.
Consequently, no frost attack so far and we anticipate only lesser
impact of frost this winter”, R Rajkumar, Chairman, The Nilgiri Planters’
Association, told me.
“Alongside, the weather has helped
because there has been no blister blight disease and so, we have not sprayed
chemicals to control it. This also
means that the incidence of red spider attack will be less or nil. So, we have not sprayed any chemical
pesticide as well. Consequently, our
teas are clean without any fungicide or pesticide residue”, he said.
“The result is that we are
receiving orders from health-conscious Japan at premium price for the teas we
now manufacture”, said Rajkumar who is also Group Manager of Glenworth Estate
Ltd., which runs the Glendale Group of tea estates.
“We anticipate 13 to 15 per cent
increase in production in November because of this weather”, he disclosed.
Speciality tea major Avataa
Beverages is also upbeat. “We have
started plucking tender single-leaf-and-a-bud from our Billimalai Estate at
6,400 feet above sea level and are manufacturing winter specialty teas. The succulence is abundant in the leaves and
the moisture in soil and atmosphere is auguring well for the manufacture of
speciality teas notable for their fragrance and long-lasting aftertaste”,
Avataa Beverages Director G Udayakumar said.
“Teas produced with the support of
this weather fetch premium price in the market, especially abroad. In the past, some of our teas produced in
similar weather conditions had fetched `
11,550 a kg in the relevant auctions”, he disclosed.
(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)
