The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- El Niño-driven low rainfall has pushed down tea production in Kerala.
- The State's tea output fell 2% between January and August, from 31.274 million kg last year to 30.624 million kg this year, according to the UPASI Tea Research Foundation.
- Wayanad is the worst-hit district, with a 53% rainfall deficit and an 8.11% production decline; yields there dropped 100 kg per hectare.
- Yields also fell in Peerumade and Central Travancore, while Munnar and Wagamon's Penshurst Estate recorded gains.
- Thousands of people depend directly and indirectly on tea incomes, so continued drought could severely affect estate operations.
What to watch next
- Whether low rainfall and drought-like conditions persist and further cut yields
- Whether Wayanad's rainfall deficit deepens through the rest of the season
- Whether Munnar's gains and Penshurst Estate's growth hold while other regions decline
Who said what1
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Joshiba Joseph
manager of Penshurst Estate in Wagamon
1 quote · 1 outlet
“productivity climbed from 2,149 kg per hectare in 2025 to 2,243 kg per hectare in 2026—an increase of 94 kg.”
In the article
…kg per hectare in 2025 to 970 kg per hectare this year. Bucking the wider trend, Penshurst Estate in Wagamon recorded a 4.4% growth in output over the same period. Joshiba Joseph, manager of the estate, noted that productivity climbed from 2,149 kg per hectare in 2025 to 2,243 kg per hectare in 2026—an increase of 94 kg. In Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, drought conditions lead to a 11.8% decline in yield, with average output sliding from 2,315 kg per hectare in 2023 to 2,042 kg per hectare in 2025, according to a report by UPASI. Published -…
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Named India · Central Travancore · Kerala · Munnar · Nilgiris · Peerumade · Penshurst Estate · Tamil Nadu · Wagamon · Wayanad · Joshiba Joseph · United Planters’ Association of Southern India Tea Research Foundation
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