The average price of Bangladeshi teas fell 7.0 percent to 153.91 taka ($2.22) per kg at the weekly auction on Tuesday as quality declined, brokers said. More than 1.53 million kg were sold, while 7.0 percent of the offer was taken back from the auction, being discarded by bidders.
"Prices decreased following quality, despite higher demand compared with last week," said an executive of the National Brokers Limited, the largest tea broking firm in the country. Different grades fetched between 140 taka and 207 taka per kg in the sale. In an exclusive sale, some 100 kg of well made Pekoe Fannings realised the highest price of 230 taka per kg.
Bangladeshi buyers including exporters mainly to the Commonwealth of Independent States and Pakistan participated in the auction, held in the country's lone auction centre in the main port city Chittagong. The next auction will be held on August 10, with some 1.61 million kg on offer.