Tea sales weaken in January as all elevations post declines

The national tea auction prices eased in January 2026, extending a softer trend at the start of the year, as all three elevation categories posted month-on-month declines, according to the industry data compiled by Forbes & Walker Research.

The national average tea sales price fell to Rs.1,164.54 a kilogramme (US $ 3.76) in January, down Rs.37.04 from December’s Rs.1,201.58 (US $ 3.89). Compared with January 2025, the average also declined by Rs.20.89 and US $ 0.24, pointing to weaker year-on-year realisations in dollar terms.

The High Grown teas averaged Rs.1,143.12 (US $ 3.69), slipping Rs.35.13 from the previous month, though the rupee prices were higher than a year earlier, even as the dollar values edged lower. The Medium Grown teas recorded the sharpest drop, falling Rs.61.49 to Rs.987.40 (US $ 3.19), while the Low Grown teas averaged Rs.1,221.63 (US $ 3.95), down Rs.36.62 from December.

The across-the-board decline suggests continued pressure on the tea price momentum entering 2026, with the dollar-based earnings also weighed by a weaker international price performance.