Tea production drops 7.06% to 158.06 million kg in October

The production of tea in the country stood at 158.06 million kg in October, as a strike called by plantation workers in southern India hit plucking, as per data compiled by Tea Board. This is a decline of 7.06% as compared to a production of 170.07 million kg from a year earlier. India is the world’s second biggest tea producer and exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt, Pakistan and the UK, and the orthodox variety to Iraq, Iran and Russia.

The production of tea in North India declined by 3.49% and stood at 139.59 million kg compared to 144.64 million kg production in October last year. The production in West Bengal dropped 2.71% and stood at 43.77 million kg compared to 44.99 million kg last year in October, while output in Assam dropped by 3.99% to 92.58 million kg this October.

Tea production in South India declined by 27.37% and stood at 18.47 million kg compared to 25.43 million kg in October last year. The production in states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka stood at 14.83 million kg, 3.05 million kg and 0.59 million kg respectively.