India's 2024 tea output drops 7.8%, lifts average prices

India, the world’s second-biggest tea producer, exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt and the United Kingdom, with the orthodox variety shipped to Iraq, Iran and Russia.

India’s tea production in 2024 fell 7.8% from a year earlier to 1284.78 million kg, on lower output in the top-producing north-eastern state of Assam, the state-run Tea Board said in a statement.

Production in Assam, which accounts for more than half the country’s output, fell to 649.84 million kg in 2024, down from the previous year’s 688.33 million kg, as heatwaves and floods during the peak harvesting season slashed output, the board said.

India, the world’s second-biggest tea producer, exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt and the United Kingdom, with the orthodox variety shipped to Iraq, Iran and Russia.

The production shortfall has lifted prices significantly, with average tea prices in 2024 at 198.76 rupees per kg, a jump of nearly 18% from the previous year.