Nilgiris tea production down 15 per cent in 2019

Tea production in the Nilgiris, the largest tea growing district in the South, was down 14.48 per cent in 2019 over the 2018 calendar year.

Tea producing companies in the district have informed the Tea Board that their output in December dropped to 0.96 million kg (mkg) from 1.01 mkg in December 2018 due to low temperature and foggy conditions on many days in the month. Plantations in Coonoor and Kotagiri suffered more from such unfavourable weather and hence harvested a lower crop. Estates in Udhagamandalam and Kundah zones managed to harvest a fair crop.

The output was also less than normal level for the month by 7.87 per cent as measured by five-year mean which was 0.89 mkg.

With adverse weather prevailing in many months in 2019, the overall output in the district dropped to 13.58 mkg from 15.88 mkg in 2018. This fall of 2.3 mkg marked a loss of 14.48 per cent.

The output was less than the normal of 14.73 mkg as measured by the five-year mean by 7.81 per cent.