328m kilos of tea produced in 2011

Sri Lanka's tea production during 2011 recorded a figure of 328.3 million kilograms, down by three million kilograms compared to the 2010 output, as a result of the negative performance of mid-country tea plantations.

"Mid-grown tea production has fallen due to the effect of drought conditions experienced during this period," a release issued by Lanka Commodity Brokers said.

Medium grown tea production has fallen short by 3.5 million kilograms during 2011, compared to a gain of 80,110 kilograms by the high grown sector and 460,194 kilograms by the low grown plantations.

During 2010, the total production stood at 331.4 million kilograms which is a record figure achieved by the industry during a year."Low grown teas accounted for 60 percent of the 2011 tea production, whilst the high and medium elevations' share was 24 percent and 16 percent, respectively" the statement said.Sri Lanka expects export earnings from the tea industry to hit the US$ 1.5 billion mark for last year.