The Tea Board has fixed Rs. 12.57 a kg as the district average price for green leaf in the Nilgiris for the month of August.
Mr. R Selvam, Assistant Director of Tea Board said the new rate was set on the basis of the consolidated auction sale average cost of CTC teas from bought leaf factories in July.
He said all bought leaf factories have been asked to adhere to this price while purchasing green leaf from farmers this month. He told all field officers of the Board have been instructed to make sure that no factory in their jurisdiction pays less than this price while buying green leaf this month.
The cost of Rs.12.57 is the lowest since August 2018.
The average price fixed by the Tea Board had been dropping month after month since May. In July, the rate was Rs.14.38 per kg. In August 2018, the price was Rs. 12.50.
In the meantime, the bought leaf factories continue to express their discontent on this procedure. President, Nilgiri Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers’ Association, Ramesh Bhojarajan said, “We are worried that the Board does not notice our repeated plea to set the price for the green leaf at the end of the month based on the rate we get at the auctions for the manufactured teas in the month concerned”.
He noted, “Fixing the rate at the starting of the month does not help us in price recovery. Also, we have no price protection for our teas at the auctions”.
