Tea Industry: Becoming hotter or cooler??

Globally, tea output has received a setback with production trend reflecting to be lower than target. Tea production in Kenya—one of the largest producers and exporters of tea — recorded a decline in February 2011 due to hot and dry weather conditions in the main Rift Valley producing areas. Similarly, tea output in Tanzania—Africa’s fourth largest producer — is expected to be lower than target after a drought affected yields.

Tea industry in India

I read an article stating India’s tea production may not be able to reach the 1 billion kg mark. This lead me to reading further in to the dynamics of the tea industry in India.

I have tried to put together some pieces of information on the Indian Tea Industry.

Tea industry in India revives

All-India tea production rose by 12.3% to 1.62 lakh tonnes during January-April 2010. The Southern states performed better than the Northern counterparts. The states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka recorded between 13-24% y-o-y growth. Production in Assam–the largest tea producing state in India, recorded a 9.6 per cent growth.

India is the second largest producer of tea in the world with production at 979 million kg in 2009. Following the prediction of a normal monsoon forecast by the India meteorological department, the Tea Board had earlier said that production in 2010 could be around one billion kg. However, achievement of that target looks dicey.