Sri Lanka crisis opens tea export opportunity that India may miss

Sri Lanka mainly produces orthodox tea, which tends to be harvested and processed by hand. It is popular with tea drinkers in Russia and some eastern European countries.

India, the world’s second-biggest tea producer, will likely fail to take advantage of an export gap in the global market sparked by Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, according to a top grower. 

The chaos in Sri Lanka could cut tea supplies by about 40 million kilograms in 2022, said Azam Monem, director at Mcleod Russel India Ltd., one of India’s largest growers. While India has been touted to fill that gap, it’s unlikely that it will be able to do so due to the high costs involved, Monem said. 

Sri Lanka mainly produces orthodox tea, which tends to be harvested and