Tea production up 7 per cent in April-February to over 1.15 million kg

NEW DELHI: India's tea production in the April-February period of last fiscal rose by 7 per cent to 1,152.91 million kg on account of higher output in Assam and West Bengal.

Production in the same period of 2012-13 was 1,073.93 million kg, according to the Tea Board data.

Output in Assam, the largest tea-producing state, was up by 5.19 per cent to 608.89 million kg in the April-February period of 2013-14, from 578.06 million kg in the comparable period.

Similarly, in another major tea producing state, West Bengal, production rose by 11 per cent to 293.73 million kg from 265.36 million kg, during the period under review.

The combined production of tea in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka increased by 13 per cent to 226.93 million kg in the April-December period of 2013-14 fiscal from 199.86 million kg in the previous year period.

Assam, West Bengal and South India are the major regions that account for about 90 per cent of total tea output in the country.

Meanwhile, as per the Indian Tea Association latest estimates, tea production in the country has increased by 6.5 per cent to 1,200 million kg till December in the the 2013-14 financial year, against 1,126.33 million kg in the same period of 2012-13 fiscal.

India is the world's second-largest producer and biggest consumer of tea.