Bangladesh tea prices mark 7th weekly gain on winter demand

Tea prices in Bangladesh rose for the seventh straight week at the weekly auction on Tuesday amid strong demand in the winter season, reports Reuters.
Bangladeshi tea fetched an average 192.96 taka ($2.4) per kg compared with 192.04 taka at the previous sale, said an executive with National Brokers Ltd. The price for last week's auction was revised from 192.15 taka.
About 2.3 million kg was offered at the auction centre in Chittagong, of which 17 per cent went unsold. In the previous auction, nearly 2.3 million kg was offered, with nearly 15 per cent remaining unsold.
Demand was strong from local buyers due to the winter season, boosting prices, the executive said.
Typically, demand for tea rises in Bangladesh during the winter season.
Tea production in Bangladesh rose 1.6 per cent in 2013 to a record 63.5 million kg due to favourable weather, but was still short of the domestic consumption of about 65 million kg.
The country has moved from being a net exporter to a net importer of tea due to rising consumption.
In April this year, Bangladesh increased customs duty to 15 per cent from 5 per cent to discourage imports amid a drop in local prices due to ample supplies.
Following are the results of the latest auction. Figures are in Bangladesh taka per kg.