MUMBAI: India’s October tea production fell 16.7% from a year earlier to 160.67 million kilograms (kg), the state-run Tea Board said, as output fell in the top growing Assam state.

Production in the north-eastern state of Assam, which accounts for more than half the country’s production, dropped 20% year on year to 89.60 million kg, the board said.

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Tea plucking in India, the world’s second-biggest tea producer, usually accelerates from June to October. Lower tea production lifted average tea prices in October to 185.16 rupees ($2.28) per kg, up 10.5% year on year, according to the Tea Board.

The country exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt and the United Kingdom, with the orthodox variety shipped to Iraq, Iran and Russia.