Tea output declines 11% over a year

India’s tea production fell 11 per cent to 18.7 million kg in January, on account of a drop in output in major producing areas.

Output of the brew was 20.9 million kg in January last year, Tea Board said.

Production in Assam, which accounts for a little more than 50 per cent of the total output in north India, by the Board classification, fell sharply. In south India, the decline was on account of fall in production in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Production in Assam declined 43 per cent to 1.96 million kg in January, from 3.4 million kg in the same month last year. However, production in West Bengal rose marginally to 2.99 million kg in January 2012 from 2.93 million kg in the same period last year.

Total output of the brew in north India declined by 22 per cent to 4.99 million kg, as against 6.41 million kg and in south India by six per cent to 13.69 million kg in January this year, from 14.51 million kg in the same month last year.

While, output of the brew in Tamil Nadu declined to 8.93 million kg in January 2012 from 9.42 million kg in the year-ago period, tea production in Kerala fell to 4.38 million kg from 4.68 million kg in the same period.

Similarly, production in Karnataka declined to 382,000 kg in January this year from 409,000 kg in the same month previous year.

India is the world’s biggest consumer and second largest producer of tea.