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P.S. Sundar

Coonoor , April 10

TEA producers who chose to sell through the Teaserve electronic auctions have got the lowest price of all the seven auction centres in the country.

According to the Tea Board, the average price realised at the Teaserve auctions last year was Rs 40.79 a kg. Those producers in Nilgiris who chose to sell through the Teaserve auctions conducted in Coonoor instead of the one conducted by the Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA) lost Rs 2.50 on every kg on an average. The realisation for them for the overall volume sold was some Rs 3.7 crore lower compared to the CTTA average.

Coimbatore auctions recorded Rs 6 a kg more than Teaserve, while, Kochi, a little more than Rs 12. Collectively, the earnings at the Teaserve auctions were lower by Rs 7 a kg compared to the average price fetched in South Indian auction centres. Compared to the North Indian auctions, the Teaserve average price was lower by around Rs 31 a kg. Teas sold through the Kolkata auctions fetched on the average Rs 40 a kg more than that of Teaserve. Guwahati auctions got Rs 28 more while Siliguri, Rs 24.

Most of the teas sold through Teaserve were from the co-operative Indco factories in Nilgiris. Some Government-owned Tantea factories' products were also sold.

However, compared to the previous year, the average price has increased by Rs 10 a kg at the Teaserve auctions. The volume sold has also risen to 18.53 million kg from 4.4 million kg in the previous year.

Although the officials claimed that being the first electronic auctions for tea in Asia, Teaserve would be more transparent, there is not flow of information from the centre to the media. Mediamen complain that despite repeated requests, they are not provided with information on the volume sold each week, the prices fetched, the buyer details, the export break-up as also analysis of the trends.

Meanwhile, the Indcoserve, the apex body of the Indco factories, is buying some teas for its "Ooty Tea'' project at the CTTA auctions as well although it operates through the Teaserve auctions in principle.

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