Tea output in 1H up 6.1% YoY

• June production slips on broad-based declines

Sri Lanka’s tea production expanded in the first half of 2025, supported by improved output across all elevations, although gains were tempered by a year-on-year drop in June, data from Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers showed.

Tea output in the January–June period totalled 135.74 million kilograms (M/Kgs), up 6.1 percent from 127.96 M/Kgs in the same period last year. Compared with 134.66 M/Kgs in the first half of 2023, production rose by 1.08 M/Kgs.

All elevations recorded an increase in comparison with the corresponding period of 2024. However, when compared with 2023, all elevations except for the Mid Grown Elevation showed negative variances.

June output stood at 21.69 M/Kgs, down 1.46 M/Kgs from 23.15 M/Kgs a year earlier, marking a 6.3 percent drop. Production also fell by 1.40 M/Kgs from 23.09 M/Kgs in June 2023. All elevations show a decline in comparison with the corresponding month of 2024.