Sri Lanka August tea exports up

Oct 05, 2009 (LBO) - Sri Lankan tea exports rose slightly in August from a year ago as production recovered from drought earlier in the year, but shipments for the year were still sharply lower, brokers said. Sri Lanka exported 27.9 million kilos of tea in August 2009, an increase of 0.5 million kilos over the same month last year, Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers said.

"Tea in bulk together with tea in bags show a growth as against the corresponding period of 2008. However, tea in packets show a marginal decrease."

Tea export earnings in August 2009 rose 10.7 percent or by 1.34 billion rupees to 13.8 billion rupees from a year ago.

Brokers Asia Siyaka Commodities said the 27.9 million kilos of tea exported in August 2009 was also marginally higher than that shipped in August 2007 as well.

They said the highest rupee earnings for any month were 15.46 billion rupees in July 2008 when the country had exported 34.4 million kilos compared with the quantity of 27.9 million kilos in August 2009.

Last year's record earnings also came during the height of the global commodities bubble which collapsed later that year.

Tea industry officials have said that despite the upturn in exports in