Tea output rises 18% in February

India’s tea production grew 18 per cent to 17.9 million kg in February 2010 over the same month last year, the Tea Board said today. 

The country produced 15.2 million kg tea in February 2009. Tea exports increased marginally to 12.2 million kg in February as against 12.1 million in the same month last year. Cumulative production of tea in the April-February period of 2009-10 rose over 22 per cent at 45 million kg against 36.8 million kg in the year-ago period. 

Exports during the 11-month period increased to 182.2 million kg from 176.4 million kg in the same period of FY09. In value terms, exports of tea moved up nearly 7 per cent to Rs 160.06 crore in February, while they rose 14.13 per cent in April-February to Rs 2,504.70 crore from the corresponding period of the previous financial year. 

During February, the average price of tea moved up nearly 6 per cent to Rs 130.75 a kg, while it increased 10.45 per cent to Rs 137.41 a kg in the April-February period of FY10, the board said. Also during the month, tea production in north India fell by almost half to 1.5 million tonnes from 3 million tonnes in the previous year, while south India saw an increase of 4.2 million tonnes to 16.4 million tonnes. 

In the 11-month period, production in north fell by 2.9 million tonnes to 10.2 million tonnes, while it rose by 11.1 million tonnes to nearly 35 million tonnes in south India.