GUWAHATI
Amid the U.S. tariff lows, the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) has recorded a brand new high. GTAC, the world’s largest public sale centre for CTC (crush, tear, and curl) or granular tea, and a serious hub for the worldwide tea commerce, registered an “impressive growth” in gross sales throughout April-August 2025.
GTAC secretary Dinesh Bihani mentioned 76.94 million kg of tea have been bought throughout this era. The quantity included 72.70 million kg of CTC and mud teas at a median worth of ₹223.30 per kg, and 4.24 million kg of orthodox or leafy teas at a median worth of ₹279.08 per kg.
In 2024, 62.11 million kg of CTC and mud teas have been bought at ₹252 per kg, and a couple of.18 million kg of orthodox teas have been bought at ₹267.88 per kg. In 2023, the corresponding figures have been 56.85 million kg at ₹205.37 per kg and 1.23 million kg at ₹221.6 per kg.
“A year-on-year analysis highlights a consistent upward trajectory in volumes. CTC and dust volumes rose by 9.25% in 2024 over 2023, followed by a further 16.39% increase in 2025. Orthodox teas showed stronger momentum, growing by 77.24% in 2024 and nearly doubling again with a 94.5% increase in 2025,” Mr. Bihahi mentioned.
The worth tendencies, nonetheless, diverged between the 2 classes. While CTC and mud noticed a pointy 22.71% rise in 2024, costs corrected by 11.39% in 2025, although they remained above the 2023 ranges. Orthodox tea, however, demonstrated regular worth appreciation, rising by 20.88% in 2024 and by an additional 4.18% in 2025.
“After reviewing the above data, it can be observed that the Assam crop in 2024 was short by 25.9 million kg till August, with total production at 375.57 million kg compared with 401.47 million kg in 2024,” Mr. Bihani mentioned.
GTAC officers mentioned the tea crop is anticipated to extend by 20-25% in the course of the present calendar 12 months.
”The shortfall in 2024, mixed with the Tea Board’s choice to announce an early closure of manufacturing from November 30, led to larger public sale costs all through final 12 months, with the market taking pictures up till October 2024. If we evaluate with the 2023 season, which was a traditional crop 12 months, common CTC and mud costs are up by ₹17.94 per kg,” he mentioned.
Dust offtake
A complete of 1,078 energetic producers are registered with the GTAC. Of these, 902 producers bought dust-grade teas via GTAC throughout April-August. Within this group, 501 marks (55.5%) supplied greater than 10,000 kg, promoting a mixed 22.6 million kg at a median worth of ₹232.44 per kg. The remaining 401 marks (44.45%) bought lower than 10,000 kg, amounting to 1.70 million kg at a median of ₹181.73 per kg.
A mark means a tea backyard or a manufacturing unit identify. “This indicates that teas offered in smaller volumes tended to be of lower quality, as reflected in the significant price gap of ₹50.71 per kg compared with larger offerings,” Mr. Bihani mentioned.
Meanwhile, tea associations mentioned the affect of the high U.S. tariff on tea wouldn’t be felt instantly.
“During 2024-24, India exported 15.54 million kg to the U.S., which was just 1.33% of the total production of 1,315.77 million kg in the country. However, our goal is to export 300 million kg of tea, which makes every market, including the U.S., important for the Indian tea industry,” Bidyananda Borkakoty, the advisor of North Eastern Tea Association, advised The Hindu.
