Chinese and Vietnamese tea exports rebounded in the first half of 2024 as pandemic restrictions faded and trade with the Belt and Road countries expanded.
According to the Tea Industry Committee of the China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation (CAPIACCTI), Chinese traders exported 196,400 tons during the first half (H1) of 2024, up 2.2% year over year. The news distributed by Xinhua was reported in the Aug. 5 edition of China Daily.
Green tea accounted for 87% of total export volume, advancing 1.8% by volume in June compared to June 2023. Black tea volume fell by 26.6% during the same period.
In that time, China's import volume of tea, mainly from Vietnam, reached 24,400 tons, an increase of 41.5%. The value of tea imports increased to $72 million through June, up 10% year-on-year. In 2023, China imported only 2,298 metric tons of Vietnamese tea, paying an average of $2.20 per kilo. The total export value of Vietnamese tea exports to China in 2023 was $5.16 million.
According to Wei You, secretary general of the tea industry committee, Belt and Road partner countries were the biggest tea trade partners in the first six months of this year, totaling 168,400 tonnes.
During an industrial conference in Southwest China's Guizhou province, the committee released an annual report on China's tea trade with Belt and Road partner countries. The report points out that green tea was the major export category in the tea trade with Belt and Road partner countries during the period, accounting for 92.4% of the total.
Morocco remains China’s top trading partner by volume, followed by Ghana, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Russia, Mali, Japan, and Cameroon. Hong Kong ($220 million in 2023) and Malaysia ($209 million) were the top tea trading partners by value.
Tea exports to the US, shared by Firsd Tea from statistics compiled by the China Tea Marketing Association and the US Census Bureau, revealed China tea imports are up 9.4% compared to 2023, but the average price per kilo is down by 22.6% to $3.96 per kilo compared to June 2023.
While a quarter of all US green tea imports (by volume) were from China, the value of this tea was only 11% of total green tea imports, reflecting a big price gap for Japanese green tea imports versus green tea from China. China ranks first in global green tea exports, shipping 309,389 metric tons in 2023.
According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, neighboring Vietnam reported a 30% increase in tea exports during the year's first half. In January, Vietnam exported 12,000 metric tons of tea valued at $21 million, an 85% increase year-on-year that reversed declines in 2023. Exports to China quadrupled during the first two months of 2024, rising 121% in volume and 411% in value to an average of $1.64 per kilo.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, China’s reopening of its border after the COVID-19 pandemic is the main factor behind the substantial growth of tea exports to this huge market. Exports of black and green tea from Vietnam increased from 2019 to 2022. The Vietnam Tea Association reports that Vietnam currently ranks fifth in the world in tea exports and seventh in global tea production.
