This week at Sale Number 8 at Kolkata tea auction centre, there was an uptrend in prices. While the average rise in the price of orthodox at Rs 150.72 a kg was marginal compared with last week’s Rs 149.36, in case of CTC the rise was more at Rs 135.71 (Rs 128.83), according to J Thomas & Company Pvt Ltd., the tea auctioneers.

An estimated 86.85 per cent (82.98 per cent) of the CTC and 82.42 per cent (81.11 per cent) of orthodox volumes were sold.

This week, the total offerings (packages) at the three North India tea auction centres at Kolkata, Guwahati and Siliguri were 1,97,804 compared with 2,20,211 in the corresponding sale of the previous year. The offerings at Kolkata comprised CTC/dust 1,48,059 (1,41,741), orthodox 2,555 (9,350) and Darjeeling 1,163( 559). The offerings at two other centres, mainly handling CTC/dust, were: Guwahati 30,750 (39,689) and Siliguri 15,277 (28,872).

Selected Assams maintaining quality met with strong enquiry and appreciated. Plainer sorts met with increased enquiry and were generally firm to dearer.

Selected good Dooars maintaining quality sold at around last levels. Hindustan Unilever operated actively. Improved enquiries were from western India dealers on the liquoring sorts. There was a fair amount of enquiry from North India and local sections. Exporters operated on the bolder brokens.

Nominal quantity of well-made orthodox offerings were readily absorbed at dearer rates. Exporters to the Commonwealth of Independent States and West Asia operated. Hindustan Unilever operated on the fannings. Enquiries from local dealers were fair.

Nominal weight of Darjeeling whole leaf grades on offer tended lower. Brokens and fannings sold in line with quality. Local buyers were the mainstay.

> santanu.sanyal@thehindu.co.in

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