Sri Lanka June tea crop hits new high

July 22, 2010 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's tea output rose sharply in June from a year ago, hitting a new production peak as the crop continued to recover from the year before, the Tea Board and brokers said.
Tea production in June 2010 was 29.5 million kilos, up 18 percent from the same month the year before when output was lower than normal.

In 2009 the crop had been badly affected by drought and the effects of the global commodities crash the previous year.

Brokers Asia Siyaka Commodities said the tea crop in June 2010 was "marginally higher" than the previous peak of 29.3 million achieved in 2005.

In May this year Sri Lanka produced 30.2 million kilos of tea.

The brokers said low grown teas, made mostly by small farmers in the island's south, showed the biggest gain in output in June.

"The Low Growns achieved its own record June production of 18.1 million kilos and contributed 61 percent to the national total."

Brokers John Keells said the tea production for June 2010 was a "healthy gain" of 5.8 million kilos compared to the corresponding period of 2009.

"If this trend continues, we are likely to match up to the all-time record crop achieved in 2008 and possibly exceed by the year end."

Total Sri Lankan tea production in the six months to June 2010 was 166.8 million kilos up 27.8 percent or 36.3 million kilos from the same period of 2009.

source - www.lbo.lk