2011 tea crop loses to 2010 in July

Thursday, 25 August 2011 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

For the first time, the country’s tea crop in 2011 lagged behind last year’s due to poor performance in July.

Until June, the 2011 crop was above that of last year’s comparative data but the current year lost the race in July.

First seven months crop amounted to 195.67 million kilos, lower in comparison to 196.7 million kilos produced in the corresponding period of last year. In the first half of 2011 i.e. January to July, cumulative crop was 170.4 million kilos, up in comparison to 169.3 million kilos in the corresponding period of last year.

This was despite June 2011 producing a lower quantity of 28.7 million kilos as opposed to 31.2 million a year earlier. Low growns dipped most followed by Medium Growns whilst high grown crop improved.

In the first half of 2011, high grown recorded a healthy growth to 45 million kilos as against 42.7 million kilos in the first half of 2010 and Low Grown was almost static at 97 million kilos whilst Medium Grown dipped by 1.6 million kilos to 27.8 million.

In July 2011 tea crop dipped to 24.2 million kilos from 27.35 million kilos a year earlier. Production in all three elevations dipped a first-of-its-kind development in 2011.

Cumulative basis Low Grow was down to 112.8 million kilos from 113.3 million in the first seven months of 2010, Medium was down from 34 million kilos to 32 million kilos but High grown improved marginally from 49.3 million kilos to 50.86 million kilos in the first seven months of 2011.