The country’s Tea production has dropped by 7.8 percent last month from a year earlier to 20.9 million kilos, while the total output for the first nine months of 2022 dipped 18 percent from the previous year, according to industry data published by Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers.
From January-September 2022, the total production is 192.37 million kilos compared to 234.72 million kilos for the same period in the previous year.
“This would be the lowest recorded for the period under review since 1996 where it recorded 188.40 million kilograms for the corresponding period,” says the data published by Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers.
“On a cumulative basis, all elevations have shown a decline over the corresponding period of 2021.”
In September 2022, high grown teas moved up 14.05 percent to 4.6 million kilos, medium grown fell 3.6 percent to 3.4 million kilos and low-grown were down 14.5 percent to 14.7 million kilos.
The national average tea price in the month of September was 5.52 US dollars or 1,981.63 in rupees.
Lankan tea has been earning higher prices for tea exports in rupees after the currency was depreciated in March against the USA dollar in 2022.
September tea exports too dipped 8.11 percent to 21.54 million kilos Even in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the country produced 201.43 million kilos for the period.