Coonoor tea auction volume falls again

The falling trend witnessed in the last few weeks in the offer for the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association continues for Sale No: 44 to be concluded on Friday for which 20.02 lakh kg has been catalogued.

This is around 20,000 kg less than the offer for last week’s auction.

Of the 20.02 lakh kg offered, as much as 19.02 lakh kg belongs to CTC variety and only 1 lakh kg orthodox variety. The proportion of orthodox teas continues to be low in both leaf and dust grades. In the leaf counter, only 65,000 kg belongs to orthodox while 14.35 lakh kg CTC. Among the dusts, only 35,000 kg belongs to orthodox while 4.67 lakh kg CTC. In all, 15 lakh kg belongs to Leaf grades and 5.02 lakh kg, Dust grades.

Homedale Estate’s Pekoe Dust grade, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers, topped the entire auctions last week when Vora Sons bought it for ₹316 a kg. This was the only tea, CTC or orthodox from any factory, bought leaf or corporate to exceed the ₹300/kg mark. Cross Hill Estate’s Special Pekoe Dust grade, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers, followed when Santhosh Tea Industries P Ltd bought it for ₹292 a kg – all time high price for the factory.

Quotations with the brokers indicated ₹105-124 a kg for plain Leaf grades and ₹186- 220 for the best grades. For plain Dust grades, they ranged ₹128-138 and for the best grades, ₹180-202.