Tea prices rise in August but trail 2024 levels

Sri Lanka’s national tea sales average rose in August from the previous month, helped by stronger prices across all elevations, though the values remained slightly lower compared with a year earlier, the state-run Tea Board said yesterday.

The national average climbed to Rs.1,182.27 (US $ 3.92) per kilo in August, up Rs.54.67 from July’s Rs.1,127.60 (US $ 3.74). Against August 2024, however, the prices edged down by Rs.6.22 (US $ 0.03).

For the first eight months of 2025, the national sales average stood at Rs.1,156.37 (US $ 3.87), down Rs.93.62 from the same period last year.

By elevation, the high-grown teas fetched Rs.70.83 more than in July but fell Rs.36.10 from a year earlier. The medium-grown teas rose Rs.47.20 month-on-month but slipped Rs.3.28 year-on-year, while the low-growns increased Rs.44.01 from July and eased Rs.5.53 from August 2024.

All three elevations recorded negative variances in both rupee and dollar terms for January-August 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, the Tea Board said.