Sri Lanka, Oct. 21 -- Medium Grown tea recorded the sharpest percentage decline among Sri Lanka's three tea-growing elevations during the first nine months, with production dropping 8.50 percent to 32.75 million kilogrammes.

Low Grown tea, which accounted for more than 60 percent of total output, declined by 1.89 percent to 117.16 million kilogrammes. Meanwhile, High Grown tea production fell 3.22 percent to 40.79 million kilogrammes, marking the lowest nine-month output compared with the corresponding periods in the previous decade covered by the report.

Green tea was the only category to record growth over the period, with production increasing 6.75 percent to 1.92 million kilogrammes.

On a year-on-year basis, total tea production in...