Tea Board Delegation To Visit Pak In April

Kochi: A delegation from the Tea Board is to leave for Cairo on March 22, for finalising the opening of a Tea Marketing Centre in the Egyptian capital. The delegation will have members from Upasi and India Tea Trade Association apart from the Tea Board. Another Tea Board delegation will be visiting Pakistan from April 14-15 for talks with its counterparts there on movement of tea on land-route via the Wagah boarder. The Tea Board is identifying new markets for tea and special thrust is being given to Iran, Egypt and Pakistan. Iraq is now the single largest market for Indian teas. Exports to Russia have remained to fall following the change in consumer preference of late for orthodox tea from CTC teas. Currently the output of orthodox tea in the country was only 10 per cent of the total output and given the growing demand for it they have decided to have a five-year plan to increase the output of orthodox tea from 80 mkg to 120 mkg.