Tea exports from India have declined by 1.17 per cent to 207.14 million kgs in the January-November period of 2023, according to official data. The country shipped out 209.60 mkgs of tea during a similar 11-month period of the previous year. During the calendar year 2022, the total tea exports were 231.08 mkgs.

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Region-wise, exports from North India, comprising primarily the states of Assam and West Bengal, stood at 125.27 mkgs, down from 132.21 mkgs in the comparable periods of 2023 and 2022 respectively, the Tea Board data said. Shipments from South India during the first 11 months of 2023 increased to 81.87 mkgs from 77.39 mkgs in the previous similar period, according to the data. Industry sources said that the dip in exports was due to the volume loss in the Iran market due to payment problems.

The Iranian market constitutes 20 per cent of India's total tea exports after the Commonwealth of Independent States bloc. The sources also said the export scenario for the full calendar year 2023 remains grim as shipments to the West Asian country remain uncertain. The estimated production in December 2023 stood at 77.52 million kgs, higher from 64.53 million kgs in the same month of the previous year.