India’s Tea exports plummeted by over 4 percent to 43.84 million kg in first quarter of the current calendar year as compared to 45.76 million kg of tea shipped in the January-March period of 2011 calendar year. India mainly exports brew to Middle Eastern countries, US and the EU.
The exports of the biggest consumer of tea have declined due to drop in outbound shipments of the brew from South India. The shipments of the brew from South India have declined by 17 percent to 14.43 million kg in January-March 2012 from 17.42 million kg in the year-ago period. However, exports from North India rose by 4 percent to 29.41 million kg as against 28.34 million kg in the review period.
In last calendar year, tea shipments from the world’s second-largest producer fell by 13 percent to 192.87 million kg from 222.02 million kg in 2010 while, the tea exports tumbled by 11 percent to 190.95 million kg in the 2011-12 fiscal as compared to 213.79 million kg in the 2010-11 financial year.