World tea production rises
Output grew by 2 percent to reach an estimated 3.2 million metric tons in 2004.
18/07/05 World tea production continued to reach new highs in 2004, when output grew by 2 percent to reach an estimated 3.2 million metric tons, according to an FAO report prepared for the Intergovernmental Group on Tea meeting in Bali (20-22 July 2005) to review the current world tea market and its medium-term outlook.
The expansion in production was due mainly to the increases recorded in Turkey, China, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The growth in output from these countries more than offset declines in other major producing countries, including India and Bangladesh.
In China, tea output for 2004 approached the 800,000 metric tons milestone as policy initiatives to promote production and trade of tea began to have an impact on the sector.
In Sri Lanka, production increased slightly by 1.3 percent to 309,000 metric tons in 2004, reflecting the recovery from crop losses after devastating floods in low grown tea areas of the island in 2003. In Indonesia, where a 1.2 percent growth was recorded, output reached 170,000 metric tons in 2004.
In Turkey, production was reported to have expanded dramatically in 2004 as output increased by 32 percent to reach around 205,500 metric tons, due to higher yields.
Tea production in Kenya increased by more than 11 percent in 2004 to reach 328,000 metric tons, as a result of favorable weather in most of the growing regions and the expansion in processing capacity. Malawi also reported a significant increase of 19 percent in tea production with output reaching 50,000 metric tons.
In India, tea production declined by 4.3 percent to reach around 820,200 metric tons due to unfavorable weather conditions and the closure of up to 70 tea gardens in Assam.
World tea exports increased by 4.4 percent in 2004 to reach 1.47 million metric tons, as shipments from all major exporting countries increased during the year.
Kenya was the largest exporter, once more surpassing Sri Lanka. The 8.9 percent increase in exports from Kenya brought total shipments for the year to almost 293,000 metric tons. A similar increase (8.9%) was also recorded by Indonesia.
Tea exports from China expanded by more than seven percent to reach 282,000 metric tons, and were dominated by green tea, which accounted for more than 75 percent of its total exports.
World net tea imports continued to increase in 2004, by 1.5 percent, reaching 1.42 million metric tons. This trend reflected the increases in traditional developed country markets of the European Community (an increase of 2.4 percent), the United States (5.3 percent), and Japan (2 percent), where imports reached 215,000 metric tons, 99,000 metric tons, and 56,000 metric tons, respectively.
Most of the growth in these markets is reportedly in response to promotional efforts on the health benefits of tea consumption. Available evidence from medical research suggests that moderate consumption of tea offers protection against heart and blood vessel disease, some cancers, and bacterial infections.
The meeting of the Intergovernmental Group on Tea will be preceded by the International Tea Business Conference (18 - 19 July 2005), which will take place at Bali's International Convention Centre.
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