The Hindu Business Line : Good demand for tea in Kolkata sale

Demand continued to be good at Kolkata, Guwahati and Siliguri auction centres during the week ended July 7, according to J. Thomas & Company Pvt Ltd. Good and top quality CTC teas held levels while the medium and plainer sorts eased in value. The buyers for the CIS countries operated for exportable brokens while the western Indian buyers lent support to good liquoring varieties. The maximum price that Assam CTC commanded was Rs 158 per kg.

The orthodox teas witnessed strong inquiries at firm to dear rates, particularly from the West Asia and the CIS countries. The buyers for the Continent and Japan operated for tippy sorts. The highest price recorded was Rs 885 per kg.

The Darjeeling offerings also saw good export competition and sold well following quality, registering a high price of Rs 1,510 per kg.

CROP PROSPECTS

The figures for May crop, just released by the Tea Board, indicate a decline in production of almost two million kg in North India during the month vis-À-vis the same month last year, while South India recovered by 3.5 mkg during the period. The all-India crop up to May stood at 226.4 mkg as compared to 225.8 mkg in the same period of the previous year.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Sri Lankan markets remained steady at the Colombo auctions with active Iranian inquiry. In Mombasa, the prices were irregular around last, with strong inquiries from Russia, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Pakistan.