India's Tea Production Up 8%; Exports Decline by 8% in July.

 Tea production went up by 8 per cent to 133.26 million kg in July, but exports declined by 8 per cent to 15.26 million kg in the same month, the Tea Board said on Friday.

Production of tea stood at 123.19 million kg in July, 2010, while exports amounted to 16.58 million kg, according to data released by the Tea Board.

Tea production rose by 6 per cent to 491.59 million kg in the January-July period of the current year, compared to 462.16 million kg in the same period of the last fiscal.

Exports of tea declined by 16 per cent to 89.82 million kg, as against 107.29 million kg in the period under review.

The all-India output of tea rose in July on the back of an increase in output in both North India and South India.

Tea production in North India rose by 9 per cent to 111.94 million kg in July, 2011, from 102.81 million kg in the year-ago period.

Similarly, output in South India was up by 5 per cent at 21.32 million kg, compared to 20.38 million kg in the review period.

Production of the brew rose in Assam, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of total Indian output. However, there was a decline in production in West Bengal.

Assam's tea production rose to 76.31 million kg in July, 2011, from 66.82 million kg in the year-ago period, while output in West Bengal declined to 33.93 million kg from 34.43 million kg in the same period a year ago.

Tea exports in July fell on account of a decline in exports from South India.
 
Shipments of the brew from South India fell by 29 per cent to 6.56 million kg in July, 2011, compared to 9.22 million kg in the same month of the last fiscal.

However, tea exports from North India rose by 18 per cent to 8.69 million kg from 7.35 million kg in the period under review.
 
India is the world's second largest producer and the biggest consumer of tea.

Source : profit.ndtv.com