MILESTONE -- 4:

AVATAA WHITE TEA WINS GOLD MEDAL IN GLOBAL CONTEST

By P S SUNDAR

Tea Board Executive Director C Paulrasu has honoured G Udayakumar, Director, Avataa Beverages, for bringing credit to the Nilgiris with the Avataa White Tea bagging Rank No: 1 at the ‘Gold Medal Tea Competition’ at the 8^th Annual North American Tea Conference.

Tea Board Executive Director C Paulrasu (right) honouring Avataa Director Udayakumar.

“Our winning this Gold Medal is an acknowledgement by the international tea community that the White Tea produced in The Nilgiris is qualitatively superior to all varieties of teas produced in any part of India, including the world-famous Darjeeling”, Udayakumar told me. 

White Tea is a speciality product commanding premium prices in the world market.

“We manufacture Avataa White Tea with the tender leaves plucked as a ‘single leaf with a bud’ from the exclusive tea bushes in the select sections of Billimalai Estate, some 10 kilometres from Coonoor”, Udayakumar noted.

“Located at an elevation of 6,400 feet above mean sea level, the tea leaves of this estate hold white pubescence hairy leaf structure by nature and that adds to the taste of the white tea manufactured with these leaves”, he disclosed.

“These select leaves undergo mild dehydration process in a hi-tech methodology and the end product has a jade green and silvery leaf appearance producing fragrant brew with a light and refreshing aroma followed by soothing after taste”, he explained.  

“Tea Board had earlier distributed our teas at Olympic Games. To help connoisseurs and common consumers enjoy white tea, we have come out with combination packs containing other varieties with White Tea”, Avataa Beverages Speciality Tea Production Executive ENR Vejayashekara said.

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

FOR THE RECORD -- 41:

HOW WAS 2017?

HOW IS 2018 GOING TO BE?

INDIA HEADING FOR RECORD TEA OUTPUT..

FALL IN GLOBAL BLACK TEA OUTPUT..

RECORD PRICE BY DARMONA TEA INDUSTRY..

RECORD PRICE BY AVATAA TEA..

DIGITAL SALES ...

(ARTICLES IN ASSAM REVIEW & TEA NEWS, DEC 2017)

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

FOR THE RECORD -- 40:

TEA GIFT PACKS..

UPASI ANNUAL CONFERENCE..

GOLDEN LEAF AWARD PRESENTED..

NILGIRI PLANTERS' AGM..

(article in Contemporary Tea Time, July-Sep 2017)

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

COONOOR AUCTIONS -- 10:

COONOOR TEA TURNOVER UP 7%

P S SUNDAR

Producers and traders who operated through the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association have earned 7.38 per cent more till last month compared to the same period of 2016.

This has happened despite sacrificing prices by ` 12.17 a kg because 1.04 crore kg more volume was sold, reveals our analysis of the Market Reports.

Till November, 47 auctions had been conducted.  To avoid piling of unsold teas following fluctuating demand, producers sacrificed prices.  Accordingly, the average price dropped to ` 84.72 a kg from ` 96.89 in Jan-Nov 2016.

This sacrifice helped more tea to be absorbed.  The volume sold rose to 5.60 crore kg from 4.56 crore kg.

Consequently, the cumulative turnover in the 11 months increased to ` 474.43 crore from ` 441.82 crore.

This increase of ` 32.61 crore marked a growth of 7.38 per cent.  

The increased turnover lay spread among producers, buyers, exporters, brokers, warehouse-keepers and workers.

With only one month left for the year to end, traders predict that the turnover this year would be around ` 510 crore against ` 478 crore achieved in 2016.

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

PRODUCTION -- 29

GLOBAL BLACK TEA OUTPUT IS HEADING FOR A FALL THIS YEAR

P S SUNDAR

Global black tea production this year is heading for a shortfall compared to 2016 as the output so far this year has fallen by 22.35 million kg (mkg) over the same period of last year.  This is despite India, the world’s largest producer of black tea, reporting a higher output.

“As per the official data received from different producing countries, the global black tea production so far this year has fallen to 1823.69 mkg from 1846.04 mkg in the same period of last year”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of annual Global Tea Digest told me. 

This fall of 22.35 mkg marked a decline of 1.21 per cent.

The major fall has occurred in African countries due to prolonged adverse weather conditions.  Kenya led the decline with as much as 41.03 mkg to dip to 346.97 mkg.   Uganda reported a fall of 8.24 mkg to touch 23.75 mkg while Tanzania lost 2.10 mkg to total 18.27 mkg.  Malawi managed to post a marginal gain of 0.90 mkg to reach 36.27 mkg.

In Asia, Bangladesh lost 8.81 mkg to produce 51.86 mkg. 

On the contrary, Sri Lanka posted the highest increase of 21.48 mkg to soar to 256.70 mkg.

India continued to top the global black tea production table and its production so far this calendar totalled 1089.87 mkg, up by 15.45 mkg.   Here, North India suffered a loss of 2.32 mkg to produce 894.23 mkg while South India gained 17.77 mkg to produce 195.64 mkg.

As this increase was not sufficient to offset the major loss in Africa, the overall output fell marginally. 

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

FOR THE RECORD -- 39:

DARMONA CREATES HISTORY ..

TEA BOARD'S PRICE FIXATION WORRIES FACTORIES..

FACTORY OWNERS SEEK QUALITY TEA SUPPLIES..

HIGHER PRODUCTION IN NILGIRIS TEA SECTOR..

INDIA'S PRODUCTION HIT BECAUSE OF LOWER OUTPUT IN NORTH ..

FALL IN GLOBAL BLACK TEA OUTPUT..

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

BY P S SUNDAR

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

PRODUCTION -- 28:

INDIA HEADING FOR A LOWER TEA PRODUCTION THIS YEAR

P S SUNDAR 

India’s tea production which, till August, followed the trend of posting a new record year after year, has failed to adhere to this norm at September end.  

September proved to be a disastrous month for North India even as production fell marginally in South India as well following adverse weather conditions.

“Tea Board has now released the September production data which shows that India lost 44.17 million kg (mkg) over September 2016 to total 145.83 mkg.   Of this, North India lost 42.14 mkg to produce 127.54 mkg while South India lost 2.03 mkg to produce 18.29 mkg”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of annual Global Tea Digest, told  me..  

“Consequently, our compilation shows that at the end of the first three quarters of current year, India’s production has fallen to 912.55 mkg from 923.27 mkg, marking a marginal fall of 1.16 per cent”, he said.

Helped by higher production in earlier months, South India’s overall output in the ten months has increased over the corresponding period of 2016 but North India is trailing behind last year.

In the ten months, North India lost 25.79 mkg to produce 737.87 mkg.  Assam lost as much as 23.33 mkg but topped India’s production table at 464.29 mkg

South India produced 15.07 mkg more to reach 174.68 mkg.  Here, Tamil Nadu produced 124.80 mkg (up by 13.22 mkg) and Kerala 46.08 mkg (up by 2.03 mkg).

As of now, industry sources estimate the country’s production in the current year to be around 1257 mkg in 2017 – some 10 mkg less than 2016.   If this happens, it will be for the first time in recent many years that India’s production will be less than the previous year. 

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