COLOMBO, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's tea exports volume increased 10.7 percent in October but production dropped nearly 30 percent compared to last year, local media reports quoting the Tea Exporters Association in Sri Lanka said here Monday.
A total of 25.8 million kilograms of Ceylon tea was exported in October, an increase of 2.5 million kilograms compared to October last year. Growth in Ceylon tea exports were seen in all major categories including tea bags, packeted tea and bulk tea.
Cumulative exports of Ceylon tea from January to October was 246.9 million kilograms, compared to 235.6 million kilograms for the same period last year. Export revenue from January to October was Rs. 203.1 billion, compared to Rs. 192.4 billion in the same period last year.
Iraq was the main export destination for Ceylon tea in October, followed by Turkey and Russia. Other export destinations included China, Libya, Azerbaijan, Syria and UAE. There was also significant growth in exports to India, the United States and Germany compared to last year.
A total of 20.8 million kilograms of tea was produced in the month of October 2019, 8.9 million kilograms less than the production for October 2018.
The Tea Exporters Association Sri Lanka was formed in 1999 by leading tea exporters in order to promote tea exports. The organisation documents statistics and formulates policy proposals on the tea export sector.
