The fall in volume witnessed in recent weeks in the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association continues this week, with the volume catalogued for Sale 11, which will conclude on Friday, declining to 12.95 lakh kg.
This is some 85,000 kg less than the volume offered for last week’s sale. It means the volume has fallen by as much as 2.81 lakh kg in the last fortnight.
Of the 12.95 lakh kg offered, as much as 11.92 lakh kg belongs to CTC variety and only 1.07 lakh kg to orthodox variety. The proportion of orthodox teas continues to be low in both leaf and dust grades. In the leaf counter, only 75,000 kg belongs to orthodox while 8.22 lakh kg, CTC. Among the dusts, only 32,000 kg belongs to orthodox while 3.70 lakh kg, CTC. In all, 8.97 lakh kg belongs to Leaf grades and 4.02 lakh kg, Dust grades.
Homedale Tea Factory topped the entire auctions last week when its Broken Pekoe Leaf grade, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers, was bought by Tea Services India Pvt Ltd for ₹311 a kg. At the Dust tea auctions, Homedale Pekoe Dust grade, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers, topped at ₹300. Three other grades of Homedale teas, auctioned by Global Tea Brokers, got ₹292, ₹290 and ₹285. Four grads of Pinewood Estate got ₹226, ₹221, ₹217 and ₹205 while three grades of Vigneshwar Estate got ₹211, ₹208 and ₹204.
Quotations with the brokers indicated ₹60-62 a kg for plain Leaf grades and ₹78-126 for the best grades. For plain Dust grades, they ranged ₹60-62 and for the best grades, ₹78-120.