The year 2019 has begun with a fall in the global black tea production even as Kenya’s output is yet to hit the market forcefully.

“The latest official data from various countries are available for January and our compilation shows that the world black tea production dropped to 45.06 million kg (mkg) from 48.58 mkg in January 2018. This fall of 3.52 mkg marked a decline of 7.25 per cent,” Rajesh Gupta, compiler of annual ‘Global Tea Digest’, told BusinessLine .

“This was due to the decline in production in India and Sri Lanka. The rise in the output in some other countries could not offset this loss,” he said.

India has reported the maximum loss of 3.72 mkg or 21.04 per cent as its production has fallen to 13.96 mkg against 17.68 mkg in January 2018. In January 2018, North India produced 5.29 mkg, but this year, there was nil production, thereby posting a loss of 100 per cent. This follows the Tea Board ordering for the first time in its history stoppage of all production in different parts of North India in different stages from December 10 to rid the market of substandard teas during winter when generally, the quality conscious corporate factories would remain closed due to uneconomically low supply of the green leaf for processing.

South India, however, produced more tea this year — a volume of 13.96 mkg over 12.39 mkg in January 2018, marking a gain of 1.57 mkg or 12.67 per cent.

Sri Lanka’s production dropped to 23.21 mkg from 24.27 mkg in January 2018, marking a loss of 1.06 mkg or 4.37 per cent.

“On the contrary, Bangladesh posted a gain of 0.16 mkg at 0.49 mkg and Malawi 1.10 mkg at 7.40 mkg,” Gupta said.

The production is yet to start in Kenya and Uganda.

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