Kolkata, Guwahati tea auction centres drop sales

KOLKATA: It seems to be tea time for Indians. Even though tea production has climbed to 1,200 million kg this year, there is nothing left at the auctions now. The Kolkata and Guwahati auction centres have dropped sales this week as well as in the coming weeks as there is hardly anything on offer.

Industry sources say supplies have fallen because of strong domestic consumption in FY14. A Calcutta Tea Traders Association (CTTA) official said this week’s auction has been dropped in Kolkata, which is one of the major auction centres in India. “We have dropped sale 9 that was supposed to take place this week. We will also drop sale numbers 11 and 12 in March as there is no tea to offer. There are some teas that have been catalogued for sale 10, which will be held next week.”

“Every year, we drop one sale during this period as the availability becomes an issue during this time of the year. But this time we have to drop two more sales as the movement of teas has been more this year. Demand is very strong in the domestic market,” he said.