North vs. South: The Battle for India’s Tea Export Throne

The Tea Board has issued statistics on recent trends in tea export from India. This notification was issued on March 28, 2024.

The notification analyzes the following areas:

1. Region wise tea exports during 2024 (Jan) – Provisional
2. Tea Exports from India (Jan-Dec 2023)
3. Region wise tea exports during 2022 (Jan-Dec) – Final and
4. Months-wise Exports Breakup During 2022 & 2022-23

All these figures reflect quantity (in Million Kgs), value (in Rs. Crores), and unit price (Rs/Kg) of tea exports from North India, South India, and all of India

Region wise tea exports during 2024 (Jan) – Provisional

The document shows provisional data on tea exports from India in January 2024 compared to January 2023.

The key findings reveal the following:

1. All India: There was an increase in the quantity of tea exported from 16.87 million kgs to 20.10 million kgs. Also, the value of tea exports increased from Rs 483.70 crores to Rs 499.50 crores. However, the unit price per kilogram has decreased from Rs 286.72 to Rs 248.51.
2. North India: There were significant decreases in both the quantity and value of tea exported. The quantity exported fell from 11. 44 million kgs to 11.19 million kgs. Furthermore, the value fell from Rs. 346.82 crores to Rs 310.58 crores. The unit price per kilogram has also decreased drastically from Rs. 303.16 to Rs 277.55.
3. South India:  Conversely, south India has witnessed significant increases in both the quantity and value of tea exported. The quantity exported rose from 5.43 million kgs to 8.91 million kgs, and the value increased from Rs 136.88 crores to Rs 188.92 crores. The unit price per kilogram decreased slightly from Rs 212.03 to Rs 252.08.

It’s important to note that this data is provisional and only reflects exports for January 2024.

Tea Exports from India (Jan-Dec 2023)

The notification also reveals data on tea exports from India during the period January to December 2023 compared to January to December 2022.

Here’s a breakdown of the key findings:

• All India: In 2023, there was a decrease of 1.37% in quantity of tea exported as compared to 2022
• North India: North India contributed 137.55 million kgs of tea exports, valued at Rs 4010.83 crores. This again was a downward trend as compared to 147.33 million kgs of tea exports valued at Rs. 4507.28 crores in 2022.
• South India: On the other hand, South India exported 90.36 million kgs of tea, valued at Rs 2042.06 crores. This is an improvement from 83.75 million kgs of tea, valued at Rs 1852.27 crores in 2022.

The table also shows a comparison between unit price of tea exports in 2023 and 2022. There seems to be a slight decrease in the quantity of tea exported from all of India in 2023 compared to 2022.

Region wise tea exports during 2022 (Jan-Dec) – Final

• All India: In 2022, India exported a total of 231.08 million kgs of tea for a value of Rs. 6359.55 crores. The average unit price per kilogram was Rs. 275.21.
• North India: North India contributed 147.33 million kgs of tea exports, valued at Rs. 4507.28 crores. The average unit price per kilogram was Rs. 305.93.
• South India: South India exported 83.75 million kgs of tea, valued at Rs. 1852.27 crores. The average unit price per kilogram was Rs. 221.17.

Overall, there was an increase in the quantity and value of tea exported in Jan – Dec 2022 compared to Jan- Dec 2021. Additionally, the unit price per kilogram in South India witness a decrease by 0.66%.

Months-Wise Exports Breakup During 2022 & 2022-23

It compares monthly tea exports from North India, South India, and all of India between January 2022 and March 2023.

Comparison between 2022 and 2023

In general, there seems to be a slight decrease in the quantity of tea exported from all of India in 2023 compared to 2022. However, the value of tea exports from all of India increased slightly in 2023 compared to 2022. Additionally, South India appears to have made up for the decrease in exports from North India in 2023.