Tea exports surge by 7.5% YoY in September, reaching 23.16 MnKgs

•  Majority of Sri Lanka’s tea product categories see growth in September 
•  Tea export FOB value drops, except for instant tea
•  Cumulative tea exports for January-September 2023 down by 5.7% YoY

The tea exports from Sri Lanka for the month of September 2023 totalled 23.16 million kilogrammes, expanding by 7.5 percent year-on-year (YoY).
Majority of the product categories, except for bulk tea and instant tea, witnessed increases against the corresponding period in 2022.
Meanwhile, the FOB value in September 2023 was recorded at Rs.1,671.39, a decrease of Rs.310.24 YoY, compared to Rs.1,981.63 of September 2022. Negative variances were recorded in most categories, except for instant tea and green tea categories, in US dollar terms. 
The cumulative analysis for the January-September 2023 period showed exports totalling 181.48 million kilogrammes, recording a decrease of 5.7 percent YoY. Tea in bulk, packeted tea and instant tea continued to show negative variances, while the remaining product categories recorded a 
marginal increase. 

The FOB value for the period stood at Rs.1,784.67, an increase of Rs.256.96 vis-à-vis Rs.1,527.71 of January-September 2022. 
All categories showed gains in US dollar terms as well when compared to the corresponding period of 2022 (Refer table). 

Iraq emerged as the largest importer of Ceylon Tea, with a total of 25.83 million kilogrammes from January-September 2023. Turkey secured the second position, with 23.50 million kilogrammes, an increase of 54.13 percent YoY.   Russia maintained its position at the third place, with 17.47 million kilogrammes, followed by the UAE, with 13.19 million kilogrammes. The latter witnessed a decline of 21 percent YoY. 
China secured the fifth position, with a marginal increase in imports by 4.2 percent YoY. The other notable importers are Syria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Germany.