Darjeeling Tea Prices on the Rise

KOLKATA, West Bengal, India

A private sale of Darjeeling from the Goodricke Group’s Castleton Tea Estate commanded a surprising INRs 7200 ($128.86) per kilo last week.

It is the highest price paid yet this year. Buyer D. C. Ghose & Company acquired 56 kilos of Grade Moonlight for export. The $7,215 sale was organized by J. Thomas & Co. Pvt. Ltd, according to The Hindu Business Line.

A temporary shortfall due to lower yields this spring has kept prices firm. Auction centers in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, and Guwahati in Assam report brisk trade. Last week a second flush from the Halmari Tea Estate in Assam brought INRs 336 ($6.13) per kilo topping a previous high of INRs 303 or $5.42 per kilo.

Coonoor reported a 20-week high on volume of 1.28 million kilos last week and then topped that with the sale 1.66 million kilos this week to set a high for the year. Total volume is 37,000 kilos ahead of the same period last year. CTC and dust grades predominate with only 93,000 kilos of orthodox tea on offer.

The top price last week went to Homedale Estate Tea at INRs 165 ($2.95) a kilo. Of the total 162 CTC lots earned INRs 100 ($1.80) or more.

Source: The Hindu Business Line, Coonoor Auction