Tea Exports Slumps 7% in Jan-Feb Period

Tea exports from the country decreased by nearly 7 percent to 41.60 million kg during January and February in 2019 from 44.72 million kg exported during the same period of last year, according to latest data.

According to data from Tea Board India, however, tea export, in value terms, during the first two months of the current calendar year was up by about 9 per cent to Rs 934.08 crore as against Rs 858.47 crore in the year-ago period.

Exports to neighbouring Pakistan and China fell marginally while the shipments to Germany, the UK and CIS countries were down in volume terms.

Tea exports to neighbouring Pakistan stood at 2.35 million kg in the period, down marginally from 2.68 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2018.

The crop exports to China during the period were also down at 1.49 million kg as against 1.52 million kg in the same period last year.

The board data also said tea shipments to CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others, were at 9.20 million kg in the January-February period of 2019, down from 11.36 million kgs exported in the same period of last year.

Exports to the UK at 1.16 million kg were down in the period under review, as against 1.85 million kgs shipped out in the year-ago period while exports at 1.61 million kg to Germany during the period were also down from 1.85 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2018.

Tea exports to Iran, however, went up sharply to 11.37 million kg in the period from 5.13 million kgs in the year-ago period.