JEDDAH,15 September 2006 — India is planning to set up a “Tea Center” in Cairo to promote its tea exports to the Middle East. India claims to be the world’s largest producer and consumer of tea. Its exports rose 26.89 percent in July alone from a year earlier to 19.11 million kg, according to a top executive of the state-run Tea Board.
India is projected to produce 930 million kg of tea in 2006 after the output of 928 million kg in 2005. It is forecast to export 195 million kg of tea against 192 million last year. “Our initial reports suggest that we’ve done well in August as well and we hope to maintain the momentum and keep tea prices stable,” he said in a report reaching here yesterday. “The outlook for the rest of the year remains positive,” he added.
“We’re still taking advantage of the Kenyan drought and the markets for Indian tea in neighboring countries like Pakistan have increased significantly,” Gangan Boriah, the board’s director, said. “A delegation has also gone to Iran for export talks, and we also hope to tap the Egyptian market, where there is a great demand for our tea,” Boriah added. Cumulative production between January and July this year was also up by 1.8 percent to 466.8 million kg, compared to 458.7 million kg in the same period last year.