October 3, 2002	Thursday	Rajab 25, 1423

COLOMBO, Oct 2: Sri Lanka tea prices held onto last week’s gains because of strong demand from major buyer countries, brokers said on Wednesday.

The anticipated gross sales average was 157 rupees per kg, down slightly from 157.22 rupees per kg last week, Forbes and Walkers Tea Brokers said in a statement.

Brokers had initially given a sales average of 155 rupees per kg but revised the figure after a final tally. There was good demand from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Commonwealth of Independent States and the continent (Europe),” it said in the statement.—Reuters