Tea Board of India today said that it is looking at Singapore as a platform to tap the export market in the Asia Pacific region (APAC).
"We have to use the mid-point to markets in Asia Pacific," Tea Board of India's Deputy Chairman Roshni Sen said after hosting the inaugural session of the buyer seller meet in Singapore.
"Overall, Singapore is a small market for India tea exporters but we see a role for the city state as a trading hub and financial centre to venture into the region," said Sen.
The Asia Pacific markets are dominated by Chinese tea but Indian exporters are confident of offering good quality tea, said an Indian tea trader.
"Indian tea comes in wide variety and is of higher quality, which gives us the advantage to offer a wider range of tea to the region," stressed Jagmohan Chandrani, senior adivsor to the Kolkata-based Link Export.
Meanwhile, the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, Dr T C A Raghavan, has urged the board and Indian tea exporters to hold more interaction with Singapore-based traders and retail marketing groups.
He suggested Indian tea officials to hold a quarterly or biannual promotion campaigns in Singapore, citing the importance of the market place.
Singapore's major supermarket groups like NTUC would be keen to promote Indian products, including tea, he added.
