Ceylon Tea brews strong cuppa in 2021 despite challenges

• Production up 7.35 percent from 2020
• Exports expand by 20.45 MnKgs
• Export revenue increases by Rs.33.18bn

The year 2021 brewed a strong Ceylon Tea cuppa by showing improvements in production, exports, and revenue despite repeated challenges faced by the industry.

Ceylon Tea production in 2021 expanded by 7.35 percent when compared to 2020, an improvement that was achieved, although plantations were hit with climate change issues and reduced access to chemical fertilisers.

In December 2021, tea production reached 20.42 MnKgs bringing the total production for the year to 299.34 MnKgs. The total production for the year increased by 20.49 MnKgs when compared with the corresponding period in 2020, Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers showed.

Compared to the 300.12 MnKgs in 2019, cumulative production of 2021 shows a marginal decrease of 0.78 MnKgs. On a cumulative basis, High and Medium elevations showed gains with the Low Growns showing a decrease by 6.67 MnKgs over the corresponding period of 2019.

In December, all elevations, except for green tea, showed a significant decline, while the cumulative production figure for the year showed a substantial gain in all elevations when compared with the 2020 output.

In terms of exports, a total of 286.02 MnKgs of Ceylon Tea reached international markets for the whole of 2021, an increase of 20.45 MnKgs when compared with 2020. All main categories of exports (bulk tea, tea bags and packeted tea) recorded increases compared to the corresponding periods of 2020.

The total revenue fetched by Ceylon Tea exports in 2021 was Rs.263.35 billion, a Rs.33.18 billion increase from 2020 earnings. 

The revenue performance of 2021 surpassed the previous best of Rs.240.6 billion realised in 2019.