Guwahati Tea Auction Centre records impressive growth in sales during April – August with 76.94 mn kgs of teas sold

Guwahati: The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) recorded impressive growth in tea sales during April –August 2025 and a total of 76.94 million kgs of teas were sold, comprising 72.70 million kgs of CTC and Dust at an average price of Rs 223.30 per kg and 4.24 million kgs of Orthodox at Rs 279.08 per kg.

Dinesh Bihani Secretary, Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Association that this performance marks a strong improvement over previous year. In 2024, sales stood at 62.11 million kgs of CTC & Dust teas sold at 252 per kg and 2.18 million kgs of Orthodox teas sold at Rs 267.88 per kg, while in 2023 the figures were 56.85 million kgs of CTC & Dust sold at Rs 205.37 per kg and 1.23 million kgs of Orthodox Teas sold at Rs 221.60 per kg.

Bihani added, “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 even stronger momentum, growing by 77.24% in 2024 and nearly doubling again with a 94.50% increase in 2025. Price trends, however, diverged between the two categories. While CTC and Dust saw a sharp 22.71% rise in 2024, prices corrected by 11.39% in 2025, though they still remained well above 2023 levels. Orthodox teas, on the other hand, demonstrated steady price appreciation, increasing by 20.88% in 2024 and by a further 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 kgs till August, with total production at 375.57 million kgs compared to 401.47 million kgs in the previous year. In the current year, the tea crop is expected to increase by 20–25%."

He added, “The shortfall in 2024, combined with the Tea Board’s decision to announce an early closure of production from 30th November, led to higher auction prices throughout last year, with the market shooting up until October 2024. If we compare with the 2023 season, which was a normal crop year, average CTC and Dust prices are up by Rs 17.94 per kg. GTAC’s strength also lies in its active participation base, with 1,078 active manufacturers registered.”

Bihani said, “Out of these, 902 manufacturers sold Dust grade teas through GTAC during April–August 2025. Within this group, 501 marks (55.5%) offered more than 10,000 kgs, selling a combined 22.6 million kgs at an average price of Rs 232.44 per kg. The remaining 401 marks (44.45%) sold less than 10,000 kgs, amounting to 1.70 million kgs at an average of Rs 181.73 per kg. This indicates that teas offered in smaller volumes tended to be of lower quality, as reflected in the significant price gap of Rs 50.71 per kg compared to larger offerings. Overall, GTAC has not only seen robust growth in volumes and steady realization in Orthodox teas but has also demonstrated resilience in managing crop fluctuations and price dynamics. While CTC and Dust continue to provide the volume backbone, Orthodox teas are emerging as the key growth driver, supported by both expanding demand and stronger price realizations”.