Tea sales average drops in April

Sri Lanka’s national tea sales average fell in April 2025, with the monthly average recorded at Rs. 1,166.75 (US$ 3.91), down by Rs. 17.01 (US$ 0.11) compared to Rs. 1,183.76 (US$ 4.02) in March. 

On a year-on-year basis, the average declined by Rs. 50.10 and US$ 0.15 from Rs. 1,216.85 (US$ 4.06) in April 2024, reflecting continued weakness in price performance across the sector.

Cumulative data for the year shows a similar trend. The national sales average for the first four months of 2025 stood at Rs. 1,176.10 (US$ 3.96), representing a decline of Rs. 94.99 (US$ 0.14) when compared with the corresponding period in 2024, where the average was Rs. 1,271.09 (US$ 4.10). 

In terms of elevation-specific performance, high-grown teas registered the sharpest drop. The average for this segment fell by Rs. 43.78 (US$ 0.20) compared to March 2025, and by Rs. 56.29 (US$ 0.18) against April 2024. Medium-grown teas saw a marginal increase of Rs. 1.73 over the previous month, though this was offset by a US$ 0.05 decrease. Year-on-year, the segment still showed a decline of Rs. 9.89 (US$ 0.03).

Low-grown teas, which account for the bulk of Sri Lanka’s tea output, also recorded a downturn. The average fell by Rs. 7.67 (US$ 0.08) compared to March, and by Rs. 66.84 (US$ 0.21) when measured against April 2024.

For the January to April 2025 period, all three elevations—high, medium, and low-grown—posted negative variances in LKR terms when compared to the same period last year. In US$ terms, medium and low-grown teas showed a drop, while the high-grown segment also saw a decline.