Guwahati, Nov 21: The average price of tea sold at the auction centre in Guwahati jumped by Rs 52 this year, as the industry saw one of the best price realisations after the pandemic this year.

As extreme weather events led to a crop loss, the average price of tea per kg sold at Guwahati auction this year was Rs 252.83 from April to October, compared to Rs 200.08 last year during the corresponding period. Also, GTAC sold 111.03 million kg of tea compared to 102.92 million kg last year, reflecting a growth of around 7.88 percent, according to GTAC buyers association secretary Dinesh Bihani. The total GTAC turnover also increased from Rs 2059 crore to Rs 2807 crore, he said.

As per the latest data from the Tea Board, crop production in Bengal and Assam is down by 63.01 million kg up to September, with Assam alone contributing a loss of 26.18 million kg. The decline has been attributed to the changing climate conditions across Assam.

On another positive note, India's tea exports are also rising rapidly this year. According to the Tea Board, the total tea exports up to August 2024 have increased by 31.08 million kg compared to the previous year. The average export price up to August touched Rs 262.77 per kg.

GTAC has also achieved record prices for quality teas up to October. Premium teas, such as Hookmol Teas, fetched the highest price of Rs 751 per kg, followed by Halmari at Rs 652, Deckiajuli at Rs 651, Hirajuli at Rs 641, and Hatimara at Rs 601 per kg for CTC teas.

Additionally, the bought leaf section has received strong prices for their high-quality teas. According to Tea Board data for the districts, Lakhimpur has seen an average price of Rs. 279.42, followed by Sivasagar BLF with an average of Rs 258.33, Dhemaji district BLF at Rs 257.41, and Dibrugarh at Rs 254.11 per kg. "Another reason for high auction prices has been the mandatory 100 percent selling of dust category teas through the public auction system. If this continues into 2025, producers will continue reaping the benefits of a buoyant market. The Assam Chief Minister's personal initiative to ensure early closure of production on November 30 has also contributed to this price rise as this move eliminated the over-production of poor quality end-season teas, which not only disbalances the demand-supply equilibrium but also spoils the image of tea in the consumers minds," exporter and director of Asian Tea Company Mohit Agarwal said.

By-

Rituraj Borthakur