Heavy rains restrict tea production

Friday, 25 May 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Asia Siyaka Commodities said persistent showers and overcast conditions have restricted production heavily in the low country.

Localised flooding has limited the movement of leaf collecting trucks. Poor worker turnout has also restricted productivity in the factories that have been already hindered by continual power outages.

Harvesting of green leaf by small holders has also declined. In the higher elevations too, estates have seen low worker turnout due to poor weather conditions.

Arrival of lorries to broker warehouses has slowed down as at Wednesday, resulting in a drop of offerings for the sale of 13 June.

There is however a quantity of around 1.8 Mnkg carried forward from previous sales, some parts of which will find ways into the sale. Factories will also concentrate on clearing the backlog of un-sifted teas.

With the South West Monsoon setting in, heavy rainfall have been forecast by meteorologists, predicting similar conditions for at least the next three days.