Sri Lanka, Feb. 10 -- The offering at the Colombo Tea Auction this week totalled 4.7 million kilogrammes, which was a significantly lower volume from the 5.8 million kilogrammes on offer the previous week.

Once again, notwithstanding the volatility and appreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee vis-a-vis the US dollar, the tea prices remain reasonably strong, perhaps in the backdrop of declining volumes, Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers said. The Ex-Estate offerings totalled 0.67 million kilogrammes, down from 0.86 million kilogrammes the previous week.

The overall quality did not show any significant improvement, although the better Western BOP/BOPFs appreciated selectively, following quality. The teas in the Below Best and Plainer categories m...