Sri Lanka’s tea production shows a mixed picture:
- May 2024: Tea production increased by 14% compared to April 2024.
- Year-to-Date (YTD): Production is down by 8.5% compared to May 2023.
- Breakdown by Elevation:
- High-grown: Sharpest decline (18.6% YoY) due to hot and dry weather.
- Medium-grown: Down 8.9% YoY.
- Low-grown: Marginal decline (3.4% YoY), performing best among categories.
Overall, YTD production is lower across all elevations compared to 2023.
- Low-grown: Down 6% YoY.
- High-grown: Down significantly due to early year weather conditions.
- Medium-grown: Down to a lesser extent.
Key Takeaways:
- The tea industry faces challenges, including weather variability.
- Growers and stakeholders need to adapt to changing climatic conditions to ensure long-term productivity.