Tea industry struggles amid rains, lockdown, and buyers turning to Kenya

India’s long-established tea industry is struggling.

Heavy rains and the absence of tea pickers because of lockdowns have hammered production and sent local prices spiraling to records, while top buyers are turning to Kenya where the market has dropped, said Azam Monem, director at Mcleod Russel India, one of the country’s biggest growers.

Output in the world’s second-largest producer is set to shrink to the smallest in five years, falling 13 per cent to about 1.21 billion kilograms, while exports will drop 16 per cent to about 210 million kilograms, a six-year low, according to Monem.