Revision as of 12:27, 21 July 2017

Production

2013, 2014

The Times of India

2013-14: the production of tea in India, region- wise

Feb 21 2015

India's tea production witnessed a slight decline in 2014 when compared to the previous year. In 2014, India produced 1,185 million kg of tea against 1,200 million kg produced in 2013. Tea from the Assam Valley constitutes about 46% of the total tea produced in the country, the highest among India's three major tea producing regions. The Darjeeling and Nilgiris regions produced about 28% and 20% respectively of the total.

Consumption

Per capita consumption India and the world

See graphic.

India and the world: Per capita consumption of tea; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, October 25, 2015

Auctions

2016: Auctions go online

The Times of India, Jun 20 2016

Sovon Manna   150-year-old tradition bites the dust as auctions for the champagne of chais go online

Since the first public tea auction in India organized by R Thomas and Co at 2, Mission Row in the city's central business district on December 27, 1861, these informal gestures used in bids made for a quirky and fascinating convention called `outcry auction'.

Eight years ago, the auction of all teas except Darjeeling was moved online.But the priciest of Indian teas continued to stick to tradition because it was way too expensive to be bought and sold alongside humbler leaves.

The wooden, semi-oval gallery was always full of stylishly dressed buyers listening keenly to the auctioneer reeling out items from his Darjeeling catalogue. A chorus of humming sounds would then fill the air, trying to draw the auctioneer's attention. The bids and counter bids start pouring in and finally the bang of the hammer would seal it for the winning buyer.

This ritual will now go online. The `auto-bid' quotes can be keyed in for as many as eight lot sales in two minutes (manual auction sold in nearly double the time -2.2 lots per minute with each lot containing an average of 125kg of tea. Even one rupee above the second highest will be the final winning price. It's fair and transparent price discovery, says a top banker at the Bank of India, the official banker to the e-auction.

The industry still thinks that e-auction couldn't handle the huge price variations of Darjeeling in a short timeframe. “Darjeeling tea has so many varieties with so many nuances, specialties, flush dif ference. How will you determine the prices in a second?“ asks Bharat Arya, chairman of J Gokal, world's largest exporter of black tea.

Darjeeling tea has traditionally been sold in Kolkata, owing to the nearby port and the concentration of exporters' offices. “Auction volumes have seen a decline over the past decade, largely owing to producers directly accessing overseas buyers. Notwithstanding this, the vibrancy of the auction room has never been dampened,“ says Krishan Katiyal, chairman and managing director of J Thomas.

The British influence on tea auction was there till the last day , says Arya. “Auctioneers were dressed in suits and ties. Buyers, too, maintained the bidding room decorum by sticking to Western or Indian formal attire. I have never seen people wear chappals in the auction room.“

The auctioneer always knew who wanted which lot, where to prod and poke, who were the natural competitors and so on. “The 8.30am to 6.30pm auction schedule has never been tedious or boring. Some below-the-belt humour, borderline bullying and verbal brickbats set the mood of the day. But it has always been a gentleman's game,“ Arya adds.

Till the 60s, the buyers and traders in the auction room were served drinks in the late afternoon. “Even till the 70s, we used to have lunch at the expense of auctioneers like J Thomas,“ he adds. Pradosh Kumar Sen, the past chairman of J Thomas, recalls a fascinating auction room drama starring himself. “ A powerful buyer once replied to my repeated price pleading with: `Don't beg'. I closed the catalogue and asked him to apologize. He had to say sorry and ironically he got the bid with two rupees more. I knocked the hammer but its head broke off and quite magically flew towards the same buyer and hit him. The whole room burst into laughter.“

Azam Monem, wholetime director at McLeod Russel, the largest producer of tea in the world, hopes that some physical auction will continue to happen, if only for the “very, very costly and exclusive variety“ of designer tea. “It is like auctioning rare paintings or a work of art. Remember, London tea market isn't done with physical auction yet,“ he says.

Types of tea

White tea

Efforts in Idukki

Giji K.Raman, White tea enthusiasts can breathe easy, June 8, 2017: The Hindu

White tea made of silver needle; silver needle, the naturally dried bud plucked from tea plant; single bud being plucked from tea plants at Valakode, near Upputhara, in Idukki district.; Giji K.Raman, White tea enthusiasts can breathe easy, June 8, 2017: The Hindu

White tea made of silver needle; silver needle, the naturally dried bud plucked from tea plant; single bud being plucked from tea plants at Valakode, near Upputhara, in Idukki district.

Idukki farmer is making efforts to make it available in the country

A small-scale farmer in a remote hill area in Kerala is attempting to break the monopoly of China in white tea market.

White tea enthusiasts in India can breathe easy, as Mohan K. Sebastian has joined hands with a government-sponsored unit at Parappu here to make the tea available in the country.

White tea is made from silver needle (unfurled bud) and is considered the most virgin and pure tea the world over.

In his organic tea garden, Mr. Sebastian takes care to pick the unfurled buds by hand to make white tea. To make white tea, plants are given special care and no pesticide is used. Buds are hand-plucked and dried using net to avoid direct sunlight.

“Now, there are various grades accorded to factory-made green tea. However, there is no sub-grading for white tea as it is the ultimate in teas,” Mr. Sebastian says.

‘One leaf and bud’ norm for plucking is followed for green tea, which is second in status in the industry. White tea is the king of teas. Its processing is so sublime that the juice in the silver needle is kept in itself while drying in the minimum natural temperature without pressure.

White tea was once considered royal and brewed for consumption of kings and their guests.

“In India, it is confined to celebrities and for royal guests on occasions,” says Mr. Sebastian, whose farm is at Valakode, a suburban area of tea estates. The United Planters’ Association of Southern India had grown plants for silver needle on an experimental basis at Coonoor and Darjeeling. However, a steady market is essential for commercial cultivation.

White tea was first produced in the Fuding area of Fujian province in China and its exports began in 1890. “One year - tea, two year - medicine, seven year - treasure,” a Chinese saying on white tea goes.

As the tea ages, the percentage of flavonoid will increase. It is the flavonoid that lends quality and flavour to the tea. It is considered an anti-oxidant and can clear oxygen-free radicals in body. It prevents cells from deterioration and ageing.

See also

Darjeeling Tea