The Hindu Business Line : Adverse weather hits Nilgiris tea

THE tea crop in the Nilgiris, the largest tea-growing district in the South, is heading for a 10 per cent decline this month due to adverse weather conditions.

"It is raining daily in the plantation pockets. Sunshine has become scarce. This is bad for tea," a tea scientist told Business Line.

Many tea areas recorded 12 cm of rainfall in the last three days.

So far this year, the tea fields received some 67 cm more rain than last year. October has been a rainy month all through.

"Good showers are welcome, but there should be intermittent sunny weather. The month began that way with bright forenoons and rainy afternoons. Now, it is raining all through the day. Consequently, the harvest will come down. We expect a 10 per cent fall in the production for October," the scientist said.

But, this fall is over the normal crop and not last October level. "Last October was a bad month for production. So, any crop would be more than last level," he explained. The yield would be 225 kg per hectare against the normal crop of 250 kg and last October's 170 kg, he clarified.

Last month, tea fields suffered for want of sunshine. "The plantations in the Nilgiris received on an average only 2.7 hours of sunshine daily against the normal for the month of 5.3 hours," the scientist pointed out.

He said that the impact of the current continuous weather on the tea bushes would be visible in the harvest till mid-November. Considering that the weathermen have forecast an intensive north-east monsoon, rainfall should be good, but if supported by intermittent sunshine, the harvest would be high.

With prices taking a plunge week after week during the last four weeks at the auctions conducted by the Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA), the producers wish a favourable weather condition in the coming weeks.

More Stories on : Tea | Climate & Weather | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
NCDEX enables demat delivery for 7 commodities

Rubber declines as buyers turn cautious

Low orthodox output may hamper tea exports

Adverse weather hits Nilgiris tea

Natural brew

Correction likely in gold

Copra, coconut oil prices up on fall in production

Syndicate Bank launches new products