Lankan tea industry to benefit from Kenyan crisis
Indian and Sri Lankan tea industry is all set to turn around due to
the political instability in Kenya, the world's largest tea exporting
nation.
With thousands of tea sector workers fleeing from Kenyan plantations,
the tea importers are looking towards India and Sri Lanka as an
alternative. The drop in tea production in India and Sri Lanka and the
rise in demand due to low availability in Kenya are also expected to
benefit the tea industry on the price front, according to officials.
According to Indian Tea Association figures, the country's tea
production in 2007 season is estimated to have declined to 940 million
kg (mkg) from 957 mkg in 2006.
In Sri Lanka too, the cumulative tea production dropped by 5.8 per
cent to 272.6 mkg during the period between January and November, 2007.
While according to statistics, Sri Lanka's tea exports fell from 262.47
mkg in 2006 to 244.58 mkg in 2007. |