Tea producing companies in the Nilgiris, the largest tea growing district in South India, have reported to the Tea Board that their production has fallen in April due to less rains and reduced precipitation in the soil as also a relatively higher temperature during most part of the month.

In April, these companies produced 1.26 million kg (mkg) against 1.56 mkg in April 2018, marking a loss of 19.23 per cent.

This was also less than the normal production for the months as measured by five-year mean.

The five-year mean production for April was 1.52 mkg; hence, this April, tea companies produced 17.10 per cent less than normal for April.

The falling trend witnessed in the cumulative production in the earlier months continued at the end of April as well.

Till April, tea companies in the district produced 4.12 mkg against 4.09 mkg in January-April 2018, marking a marginal decline of 0.73 per cent.

However, this was tellingly less than the normal level as measured by the five-year mean for the period.

The five-year mean production during January to April was 4.40 mkg; hence, in the first four months of the current calendar, the production was 6.36 per cent less than normal.

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