According to tea industry sources, exports were lower due to shortage of shipping containers and high sea freight
According to tea industry sources, exports were lower due to shortage of shipping containers and high sea freight
According to the latest data from the Tea Board, tea exports fell 2.4% to 184.35 million kg in April-February of the last fiscal year.
In the corresponding period of the previous year, harvested crop shipments amounted to 188.91 million kg.
The value of exports increased marginally to £4,956 billion in the first 11 months of 2021-22 compared to £4,933 billion in the corresponding period of financial year 2020-21.
CIS countries, including Russia and Ukraine, imported 41.18 million kg in the period, the highest among overseas Indian tea destinations, compared to 46.19 million in the same period last year.
Among CIS blocks, Russia was the top importer with a shipment of 31.88 million kg in April-February 2021-22, up from 33.65 million kg in the same period last year, according to Tea Board data.
Iran was the second largest importer of Indian tea with 27.25 million kg, a marginal increase from 26.48 million in the first 11 months of 2020-21.
The US imported 12.43 million kg in the April-February period of last fiscal year, a higher volume than 10.81 million in the corresponding period last year, the data showed.
Shipments to China were significantly lower at 4.32 million kg in the first 11 months of the last fiscal year compared to 11.22 million kg in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.
According to tea industry sources, exports were lower due to shortage of shipping containers and high sea freight.
Tea exports fell to 195.50 million kg in calendar year 2021 from 209.72 million in 2020, according to the board data.
The tea industry has applied for a special financial package from the center to maintain the viability of plantation operations, which are now “under threat,” they said.
According to the Indian Tea Association (ITA), the annual production of Darjeeling tea has dropped drastically from 12 million kg to six million kg, with the main reason being difficulty in replanting due to the hilly terrain and lack of expansion of acreage in the region.
