Asian tea producers eyeing 'untapped' African mkt for exports: ATA chairman

Africa is a huge untapped and unpenetrated market. The existing export markets of Europe have become saturated, said Hemant Bangur, chairman of Asian Tea Alliance

Tea producers of Asia are now targeting the 'untapped' African market to shore up exports for which they plan to work out a strategy in this regard.

Hemant Bangur, chairman of Asian Tea Alliance (ATA), said there is a need to tap the African market.

ATA countries include India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

"Africa is a huge untapped and unpenetrated market. The existing export markets of Europe have become saturated. Asian tea producers consider Africa as a focussed market and we will work towards this", Bangur, also the chairman of the Indian Tea Association (ITA), told reporters.

Bangur said that the ATA also strongly discourage the promotion of genetically modified clones in the tea industry.

 

"The alliance countries will collaborate to produce more climate resilient clones to produce sustainable tea. The industry also plans to promote regenerative agriculture which will focus on water retention and carbon sequestration," he said.

Bangur said that there is a global oversupply of tea for which there is a need to increase consumption, adding that Africa seems to look like a bright destination for this.

"There is a need to promote generic promotion of tea in the African continent, particularly the western part", he said.

The alliance is also looking at creating opportunities and sustainable production as well as increasing consumption of tea, managing director of Solidaridad Asia, Shatadru Chattopadhyay, said.

Solidaridad Asia is the convenor of ATA, which held its fourth meet in the metropolis on Thursday.