Lockdown cuts India's April tea output by 54% y/y-Board

Tata Coffee

06/07/2020 10:53

MUMBAI, July 6 (Reuters) - India's April tea output fell 54%
from a year earlier to 39.02 million kilograms (kg) as
restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus reduced
plucking in the top producing north-eastern state of Assam, the
state-run Tea Board said on Monday.
    For Assam alone, output in April plunged 76% from a year ago
to 10.99 million kg, the board said.
    In the first four months of 2020, India produced 113.36
million kg of tea, down 40% from a year ago because of lower
production in March and April, the board said in a statement.
    India, the world's second-biggest tea producer, exports CTC
(crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt, Pakistan and the United
Kingdom, with the orthodox variety shipped to Iraq, Iran and
Russia.
    India's tea output is likely to drop by 120 million kgs or
9% in 2020 as lockdown measures initially forced plantations to
suspend plucking during the opening harvest - the prized first
flush - and then operate with about half the workforce.
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 (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; editing by Barbara Lewis)
 ((rajendra.jadhav@thomsonreuters.com; +91-22-68414378 ; Reuters
Messaging: rajendra.jadhav.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))