With the onset of the pre-monsoon showers and a new flush of leaves, arrivals have picked up at the Kochi Tea Auction. There were 13,79,500 kg of dust and 4,64,000 kg of leaf on offer at the auction. Prompted by the surge in arrivals and lack of active participation by big companies, prices dropped at the CTC dust auction. Almost 30-35 per cent of the dust tea remained unsold while the prices gravitated lower.

Tata Global and Hindustan Unilever were not active participants and pursued select grades in negligible quantities. AVT was more active and pursued good liquoring grades. As the prices plunged towards the close, there was some export enquiry. Upcountry buyers kept to the sidelines. Primary orthodox dust grades remained steady. While exporters absorbed bulk of the orthodox dust grades, there was fair amount of withdrawals from the markets.

Tea Auction

Select Nilgiri orthodox grades were barely steady to firm. Medium bolder broken and whole leaf grades were also just about steady, while others tended to be lower with heavy withdrawals. Prices of high grown grades and fannings remained fair. Traditional exporters lent fair amount of support. Exporters to Tunisia remained subdued and operated at lower levels. Fannings witnessed good demand from tea bag exporters and upcountry buyers.

Good liquoring grades remained steady at the CTC leaf auction while most other grades quoted lower. There was fair amount of withdrawals at the CTC leaf auction also. Good liquoring grades were well supported by up HUL and some upcountry buyers. Export enquiry became evident at lower price levels.

Top Prices

Pasuparai SFD fetched the top price at the dust auction at Rs 129 followed by Pasuparai FD at Rs 120, Karimtharuvi SFD at Rs 105, while Pasuparai GD and Karimtharuvi SRD fetched Rs 104. At the leaf auction Pascoe's Green tea fetched the top price at Rs 302 followed by Chamraj OP at Rs 217, Chamraj FOP at Rs 212 and Quinshola BOPF at Rs 179.

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