The price of tea has been in long-term decline while production costs have risen, putting downward pressure on farmers' incomes and labourers' working conditions. Since 1980, the real price of tea has fallen by 15%1. In the last two decades, the annual average price has fluctuated between a high of 333 cents/kg to a low of 142 cents/kg in 1980 terms, which means that the price deviated from the exponential trend by 13% in any given year. The decline in prices has been primarily due to the strong…
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