India's tea production has marginally declined to 1,127.7 million kg in April-January of the current fiscal.
The tea output during the first 10 months of the last fiscal stood at 1,137.2 million kg, according to the Tea Board data.
The lower output has been mainly due to unfavourable weather conditions. Besides, wage-related issues also hit tea producers, a source said.
India is the world's second-biggest tea producer and one of the largest consumers too.
The country exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade tea to countries like Egypt, the UK, and other traditional varieties to Iraq, Iran and Russia.
The exports of the beverage have surged 11 per cent to Rs 3,597.4 crore in the first 10 months of the ongoing fiscal, from Rs 3,240.90 crore in the year-ago period.
In terms of quantity, total tea exported in the period under review rose to 186.63 million kg as against 164.88 million kg a year earlier.
The tea sector has been facing other issues as well, including migration of laborers to other industries.
Tea plucking in India mainly starts between July and October.
In Assam tea is not just a product or commodity, it is a
culture steeped in history and replete with highlights of development and contribution to economic growth and social progress, Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tassa said in another letter to Irani.
He said it was justified to have a chapter on tea in school curriculum as the industry is agro-based and labour oriented providing direct employment to over one million people.
An additional 10 million people derive their livelihood through its forward and backward linkages.
Tea is also the cheapest drink in the world, next only to water and is the most widely consumed beverage across the length and breadth of the nation, he said.
Besides, tea is the only beverage in India which has its roots in India's freedom struggle. The first Indian tea planter Maniram Dewan was hanged by the British for his involvement in the 1857 Mutiny, Tassa added.
