Rains bring cheer to tea growers in the Nilgiris

Rains have brought cheer to the tea growers in the Nilgiris as the year 2020 ended on Thursday.

“Many tea growing areas have received good showers since Wednesday night. The meteorological sources have forecast rains on the New Year day as well,” Ramesh Chander, President, The Nilgiris Small Tea Growers’ Association, told BusinessLine.

“Right with the drizzling on Wednesday night, the ground temperature has risen to favourable levels for the tea plantations,” he said.

“With prolonged dry weather, we were apprehending frost in low lying tea plantations particularly in the beginning of the New Year but the present rains have reduced the chances of immediate frost,” he added. “This would mean better crop in January-end and if there is no frost this winter, the harvest would be voluminous in February as well,” he noted.

“We have started the manufacture of top quality winter teas in the premium market,” said ENR Vejayashekara, Production Executive of Speciality tea major Avataa Beverages in Billimalai Estate.

Such carefully-crafted teas from Avataa Beverages fetched record prices at the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association in 2020. “Avataa Virgin Green Tea fetched ₹6,110 a kg and Avataa Oolong tea ₹5,010. Auctioned by Paramount Tea Marketing and bought by Golden Tips Tea Co Pvt Ltd, they became the highest price fetched any tea of any factory in any regular auction held anywhere in South India,” said Avataa Beverages’ Director, Udayakumar.