Tea production up this year

Tea production in the country has increased this year compared to last year, tea producers said. According to data, 223 million kilograms of tea were harvested from January to August this year, an increase of 8.4 million kilograms compared to last year.

The increase in Low Grown tea output and favourable weather are attributed to the rise in tea production.

The tea crop of 26.6 million kilograms in August shows an increase of 2.8 percent compared to the corresponding month of the past year. This increase was mainly due to the improved Low Grown tea output coupled with favourable weather conditions during the month.

The Low Grown output from the beginning of this year touched 135.5 million kilograms up from last year's 130.9 million kilograms (mkgs), while Medium production increased from 35.5 mkgs to 37.2 mkgs during the corresponding period. High Grown production declined marginally from 5.37 million kilograms in August 2012 to 5.32 million kilograms this year.

Production will reach approx 335 million kilograms by the end of 2013 as against 327.75 million kilograms in 2012.

Sri Lanka's tea production declined 4.29 percent to 24.69 million kilograms in June this year from a year earlier, according to Sri Lanka Tea Board data. Tea producers said that the drop in production was due to adverse weather conditions.

High grown elevations recorded the highest drop with production down 19 percent to 4.56 million kilograms. Medium Growns were marginally up, 4.0 million kilograms from 3.7 million a year earlier. Production of Low Growns teas was steady at 16.0 million kilograms.

Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea and the industry is one of the country's main sources of foreign exchange and a significant source of income for labourers. In 1995, Sri Lanka was the world's leading exporter of tea with 23% of the total world export, but it has since been surpassed by Kenya. The tea sector employs over one million people directly and indirectly in Sri Lanka.