The tea production in India has increased by 97.52 Mkgs during the January-September period as compared to 2020, and the projected production in calendar 2021 is expected to be around 1360 million kg, as compared to 1257 million kg in 2020.
Raj Bansal, president, Tea Association of India (TAI), said that the total global black tea output has increased by 94.45 Mkgs during the January-September period as compared to 2020. He added that the projected export of tea from India for 2021 is 200 million kg, as compared to 209 million kg in 2020 and 252 million kg in 2019.
The TAI president said that the Tea Board had assembled a meeting on export scenarios on August 6, projecting a national effort to achieve tea exports of 300 million kg for FY22. However, in the present scenario, achieving an export target of even 250 million kg appears to be bleak, ” he said.
Bansal said that during COVID and in the post-COVID period, tea emerged as a plant-based functional food geared by the wellness aspect, the discovery of premium tea, and consumers’ quest for understanding of the many layers of taste and variants available to them, eco-friendly packaging, the rise of online marketing over offline, and the innovative manner of marketing tea.
The president of the Tea Association of India (TAI) also said that the government of India has sanctioned Rs 968 crore for the tea industry for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. While the government expects the tea industry to be self-sufficient, keeping in mind that this industry employs about 11 lakh people directly and supports approximately 40 lakh people through its plantations and factories, mostly in rural areas where other sources of employment are currently limited and an industry where more than 50% of the workforce are women, the association urges upon the government to continue lending its helping hand to the social cause by way of incentives, he added.