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.

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