The large array of different tea grades produced in the 690 + tea factories in the seven different agro-climatic regions of Sri Lanka are all sold on a weekly basis at the Colombo Tea Auctions held usually every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Auditoriums of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
The average quantity of six to seven million kilos produced weekly are sold by eight different Tea Broker Organisations on behalf of the Tea Factories.
Brokers prepare catalogues of various grades of tea according to the varying altitudes in which the teas are grown with detailed information to help identify the tea, which are individually sampled to the buyers.
A staggering 10,000 to 11,000 samples are tasted and valued by the tea tasters of tea exporting organisations and details recorded on the catalogues, which provide information essential for buying their requirements at the Auctions weekly.
Tea Brokers sell in an orderly sequence over two days of Tea Auction, collecting around 2 – 2.8 billion rupees in revenue for their sales proceeds.
The collection of the sales proceeds are done in two stages, ten percent within three days and the balance 90 percent within a week.
ANSELM PERERA (MLESNA TEA CENTRES)
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