PRODUCTION -- 14:

INDIA’S JANUARY TEA OUTPUT DOWN 16.26%

BY P S SUNDAR

India entered 2016 with a shortage of 16.21 mkg of black tea over 2015 as production dropped to 1191.10 million kg (mkg).     For the first time in many years, the country’s production had fallen over the previous year.  All these recent years, it was a case of each year reporting a new record in output.     

This falling trend has continues in 2016 with Tea Board’s estimate of January 2016 production showing a fall of 3.47 mkg or 16.26 per cent over January 2015.  

“Production has fallen in both North and South.  In the North, the decline is marginal at 0.87 mkg to dip to 3.31 mkg but in the South, the loss is sharp at 2.60 mkg to reach 14.56 mkg.  Consequently, production has fallen to 17.87 mkg from 21.34 mkg, marking a decline of 16.26 per cent”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of annual Global Tea Digest, told me.

All tea producing districts in the country have posted a lower output compared to January 2015 due to adverse weather.

Cachar (-56%) and Dooars (-32%) are the major losing districts in North India.

In the South, Tamil Nadu lost 18 per cent and Kerala 10 per cent. 

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FOR THE RECORD -- 15::

KAMC PROGRAMME ...  STASI CONFERENCE .. TEA BOARD MEMBER ...

BY P S SUNDAR

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

COONOOR AUCTIONS - 9 :

COONOOR TEA AUCTION  AVERAGE PRICES SCALES THREE-YEAR HIGH – CROSSES Rs 100/KG MARK

BY P S SUNDAR

                     A new chapter was opened in the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA) at Sale No: 4 which concluded on Friday with the average price crossing ` 100/kg mark for the first time in three years.

For the first time in the history of the 53 year-old Association, average prices crossed ` 100/kg mark in 2013 reaching ` 104.11/kg at Sale No: 10 on March 8.   The average price continued to rule above ` 100/kg for eight weekly auctions till April 26.  In between, the average price rose to an all-time high of ` 110.70/kg at Sale No: 12 on March 21.   This was significant because 2013 was CTTA’s Golden Jubilee year.

This level continued to remain unbeaten in any of the auctions held in subsequent weeks all through 2013, 2014 and 2015.   On the contrary, prices nosedived following inadequate demand at high bids when the volume offered was more.   Consequently, the average price in the whole of calendar 2013 was ` 89.32/kg, in 2014, ` 73.01 and in 2015, ` 72.43.

Since the last quarter of 2015, prices have been rising due to increase in demand and 2016 opened with the average price ruling ` 90.41/kg. This rose to Rs 95.14 in the next auction and further to ` 97.05 last week.  Now, at the fourth auction for 2016, prices have averaged ` 102.88/kg.  This time last year, average price was only ` 78.78/kg.

“This is a welcome development because we have been suffering from suppressed price last couple of years.  Prices have risen to this high level as there is shortage of tea in North India where auctions have been cancelled for some six weeks and factories are closed for want of leaves for processing.   We are seeing increased demand from upcountry buyers pushing up the prices.  We expect the market to remain buoyant at least till March end because volumes of North Indian tea are not expected to hit the market till then”, CTTA Chairman L C Singhania told me.

However, the low volume on offer is causing concern to the manufacturers.  “Prices are no doubt good but the volume offered this week was the least in two years.  Factories do not have green leaf for processing and are working only for four days a week and that too in single shifts. Our production has fallen by 60 per cent and to that extent, our realisation has also crashed despite average prices crossing ` 100/kg.   We are also concerned that the demand for our top quality high-grown winter teas is inadequate at high bids.  We are waiting for prices for these teas to rise by at least ` 20/kg more than the current levels”, Ramesh Bhojarajan, President, The Nilgiris Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers’ Association, said.

“We are also worried that there is less of tea leaf for harvest.  Frost in some fields and the continuous mist for most part of this winter has affected the healthy growth of the tea bushes.  Although the higher price at the auction may lead to increase in the price of our green leaf purchased by factories, the take-home money for us will be less because of low volume supplied by us”, H Thiagarajan, President, Nilgiris Small Tea Growers’ Association, said.

At Sale No: 4 this week, despite the prices rising to new high, 91 per cent of the offer of was bought due to increased demand but because of low offer, the overall realisation crashed to ` 6.77 crore – the least since April 2, 2015. 

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SPECIALITY TEA -1 :

MIST ENHANCING FLAVOUR OF NILGIRI TEA THIS WINTER

BY P S SUNDAR

(article in The Hindu Business Line,  January 13, 2016).

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MILESTONE - 3:

CREATING DEAFNESS-FREE PLANTATION WORKING COMMUNITY

BY P S SUNDAR

A new chapter in voluntary health welfare for plantation workers in the Nilgiris was opened on January 9, 2016, with Avataa Beverages throwing open free treatment for restoring hearing to the deaf.

“As part of our corporate social responsibility, we are committed to creating deafness-free society in plantations.  For this, we have linked with Chennai-based Madras ENT Research Foundation (P) Ltd., (MERF) through whom, high-cost hearing restoration surgeries will be done free-of-cost to eligible patients”, Avataa Executive Director G Udayakumar told me.

“This is first of its kind in the health welfare for plantation labour this side.   To begin with, we conducted a special camp at Billimalai Estate, some 10 kilometres from Coonoor, on January 9 when MERF specialists examined hearing impaired workers and their wards from many estates from the Nilgiris and elsewhere”, he said.

“We have identified one child for cochlear implant surgery and have referred many for detailed investigation at our satellite centre in Coimbatore for necessary further treatment.  We will have regular follow-up sessions.  We shall be happy to extend free treatment for deserving patients from all plantations”, MERF Chief Audiologist R Ranjith told me.

Thanks to Tamil Nadu Government extending the fiscal support for high-cost surgeries for restoring hearing to the deaf, MERF has offered its expert services to plantation labour.

“One out of every 500 children born in India is deaf and half of them is due to consanguinity arising from close relative marriage of parents.   Such children are dumb as well.  Increase in cases of acquired deafness among those born healthy is also seen”, R Ranjith told me.  

“The truth is that hearing can be restored in all such cases but the cost is high.  The happy news is that the Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Scheme is available to those treated by MERF.  Under this scheme, each patient is getting Rs 7.5 lakh for cochlear implant.  In those cases where brain stem implant is done, Chief Minster has supported with fiscal assistance to an extent of Rs 18 lakh”, he disclosed.

“Two weeks after such implant, the patient is fitted with external hearing device.  The patients is imparted ‘auditory habilitation training’ twice a week for one year to tone up listening skills.  The entire treatment is offered free-of-cost to the patient”, he noted.

“MERF, under the guidance of Padmashri Awardee Dr Mohan Kameswaran, is performing five implants daily.  MERF is the first institution in Asia to actively perform brain stem implant surgeries.  Since the introduction of the Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Scheme for cochlear implant in 2013, MERF has conducted about 1,000 implants.  Besides, about 3,000 successful implants have been done outside the scheme as well”, Ranjith said.

“To help patients, MERF has opened satellite centres in many places and so patients need not travel to Chennai.   Some such centres are near plantation areas also.   These satellite centres are equipped with necessary infrastructure and technical staff including auditory habitationist, audiologist, speech and language therapist”, he disclosed.

“For that matter, MERF has opened activities all over India and in some other countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Nigeria.  Details can be had over phone: 09940016610”, Ranjith pointed out.

In this backdrop of assurance to restore hearing in almost every case of contentious (at birth) hearing impaired and acquired hearing impaired caused to normal babies as they grow due to various factors, there seems to be no logic in allowing schools for hearing impaired to function.   These children should be supported with hearing restoration and merged with the mainstream of education.    To begin with, plantations can create a deafness-free community in estates.  To that extent, the initiative of Avataa Beverages marks a welcome start for 2016.   

For that matter, 2016 has given a good start to speciality tea sector in which Avataa is a major player.

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

FOR THE RECORD -- 14:

(articles in The Assam Review & Tea News, Dec 2015)

ENTERING 2016 WITH HOPES ...

AGRICULTURAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT KAMC

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FOR THE RECORD -- 13::

GLOBAL TEA DIGEST 2015 RELEASED

BY P S SUNDAR

‘Global Tea Digest 2015’, (GTD), the storehouse of statistical data on tea acreage, production, yield, prices, exports, import and domestic consumption relating to tea industry around the world, has come out.

“The data compiled in GTD are of great use to tea industry and trade for decision making.   They reflect the economic situation obtaining in current tea with rising prices and consumption trends.  These data post a bright outlook for 2016”, Tea Board Executive Director C Paulrasu told me after releasing GTD on Dec 22, 2015.

“There is a high demand from exporters for GTD as these data help on deciding their intake from India.  We take pride in sharing GTD with exporters”, L C Singhania, Chairman, Coonoor Tea Trade Association, who received the first copy, said. 

“This is our fifth annual edition.   It contains 60 classified tables, 120 detailed tables and colourful graphs spread to 160 pages”, Rajesh Gupta, GTD compiler, noted. 

“The data relate to black tea, green tea and instant tea around the globe”, N Sriram, President, Global Tea Brokers (GTB), said.

“Details of tea grades, tea tasting terminology and glossary are also included in GTD”, GTB General Manager Senthil Kumar said. 

“The GTD is distributed free-of-cost as our dedication to tea industry and trade”, GTB Executive Hariprasath added.

Besides the widespread statistical data on tea industry and trade, some facts about tea listed in the GTD are as fascinating as the very beverage.

For instance, do you know that In Myanmar, people eat, not just drink, tea?

“Fermented or pickled tea is a national delicacy of Myanmar.  It is eaten as Tea Leaf Salad”, records Tea Glossary section of GTD.

“We have recorded many less-known facts about tea production and drinking round the world”, GTD Compiler Rajesh Gupta told me.

Chinese green tea from Zheijiang province is rolled into small pellet-size ball and dried.  So, it is called ‘Gunpowder’.  This tea’s colour is also like gunpowder. 

The 7^th Duchess of Bedford gave birth to ‘afternoon tea’ drinking practice in the 19^th century as she drank tea to stave off hunger pangs between lunch and dinner.  Finger sandwiches, cakes or pasties accompanied the ‘afternoon tea’.

Chinese and Japanese tea mixed with stalk and dust and moulded into bricks under high-pressure were carried by Asian travellers to drink tea on their way and it was called ‘brick tea’.  

‘Handkerchief tea’ got its name from large silk handkerchiefs which Chinese tea growers used to collect their very tippy tea.

‘Chunmee tea’ is Chinese green tea resembling the shape of human eyebrow.

Tea transported on camel from China to Russia in the past was called ‘Caravan Tea’.

In Tibet, ‘Butter tea’ is boiled tea mixed with salt and soda, strained into an urn containing butter and dried barley and churned.  It is served is a basin with lumps of butter.

Collectively, GTD is an asset to tea industry, trade, consumers and academicians / researchers.  

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