India's tea export to Pak rises 34%

The country's tea export to Pakistan in the first six months of 2006 increased 34 per cent to 5.74 million kg, Indian Tea Association, the apex body of tea producers in India, said in a report.

Despite higher exports to Pakistan, India's total tea export during the period was down around 2 per cent at 79.07 million kg from 80.58 million kg in the same period of 2005, it said.

Exports were down not only to traditional destinations in Commonwealth of Independent States but also to Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan.

Tea traders of India and Pakistan were working together over the past two years to facilitate increase of India's tea exports to Pakistan and the current rise is due to this initiative, an official of the association said.

Pakistan, with annual imports of around 140 millon kg, is the largest importer of tea in the world, but up to 80 per cent of its requirement is met by Kenya.

The value of tea export to Pakistan from India was, however, up only 4.6 per cent, the report said.

Apart from Pakistan, tea exports to Iraq, Kenya, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Egypt also registered a marginal rise.

Kenya is the world's largest tea exporter, but it imported high quality teas from India this year to mix it for re-export, an industry official said.

Higher export to Kenya was due to low production of good quality tea in that country due to a drought-like situation, he said.