Plucking Dates Announced

Sale 3

January 21, 2023

Tea Price Report

India’s tea industry submitted several funding proposals and will closely examine the Union Budget, presented on Feb 1, 2023, to see if the central government will offer its support and bring relief to Darjeeling.

Takeaways

• Plucking dates for north India have been announced for February-March.
• Tea Board forms a 9-member committee with representation from small tea growers, indicating a greater focus on this segment.
• Ahead of the Union Budget, UPASI seeks a higher allocation of funds from the government.

Listen to India Price Watch

This week, the tea board announced plucking dates for north India. Plucking in the Dooars, Terai, and Bihar can commence on February 18th, in Darjeeling and Sikkim on February 27th, and in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on March 6th. The dates for Assam have not yet been announced. 

A recent development from the tea board is a 9-member committee formed to address the issues small tea growers face in India. The committee will serve as an informal platform to represent the issues and concerns of the small tea grower segment. Various small tea grower associations across the country will represent it. 

The industry will look closely to see if the Union Budget, presented on Feb 1, 2023, will bring relief or support. UPASI – the body of plantation companies of south India has sought a higher allocation of funds to the sector to implement the various development schemes. The funds allocated to the board in 2022-23 were Rs 131.92 crore, less than half of 2021-22. The association has also asked for the implementation of an inter-ministerial committee recommendation that social costs must be shared equally between the plantations and the Central and State governments. 

India Price Watch

An uneventful week at auctions. In Kolkata, under 4,000 tonnes of CTC was on offer. About 66% was sold, mostly the BP grade. About 1285 tons of orthodox was sold. Hindustan Unilever was active for Dust grades, while the Middle East continues to be active for orthodox tea. In Guwahati, about 3,515 tonnes of CTC was on offer, with 73% sold. In the south, Dust grades sold the highest. CTC and Orthodox prices averaged Rs 115 per kilo in Coonoor. 

Tea Price charts, courtesy TSigma Consultancy

Weather & Climate Change

The Nilgiris is expected to see some rain this week following a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. Assam and Darjeeling expect to see dry weather.

Every week, I track developments in the Indian tea sector to bring you an overview of relevant news and policies impacting the sector, crop, and weather reports, along with an auction watch for prices. At regular intervals, I interview industry professionals to understand market movements, harvest, production quality, and the impact of policies on the sector.