Iran set to topple Russia as India's largest tea importer this year

Till September this year, Iran outpaced Russia and CIS both in terms of volume and value of tea shipments from India

Iran is set to overtake Russia this year as the largest inporter of Indian tea, despite the US sanctions on trade that it is facing.

Exports to Iran hit a record high of 43.76 million kg (mkg) this year till September, earning India a forex of $172.84 million.

Sources said owing to the US sanctions on Iran, other exporting countries like Sri Lanka have found it hard to sustain their shipments. After the sanctions were imposed, there was some uncertainty over how payments would be made, given that Iran did not have adequate foreign exchange. However, under