CHINA
China returned to full-scale tea production by May 21 when the country celebrated International Tea Day. The day featured a series of events at the Chinese Businessman Museum in Beijing as 50 industry groups took part in 36 hours of live broadcasts.
“China sees its duty to boost the global tea industry, spread tea culture, fight against poverty, and revitalize rural areas,” said Cao Derong, president of CFNA (China Chamber of Commerce for Foodstuffs).
China faced several impediments to growth prior to the coronavirus outbreak but retained its rank as the top tea exporter globally in 2019. Green tea exports, the main tea crop, totaled 304,000 metric tons (m.t.) and were valued at $2.02 billion. The average price of exported green tea was $4.34 per kilo in 2019.
China’s tea exports were generally stable and of improved quality, despite the US-China trade dispute and uncertainties in the world economy, according to agricultural and trade officials. Tea exports to the US in 2019 were down 5.1% to 15,000 m.t., but this was easily offset by a 15.6% increase in purchases by ASEAN nations. The 23,000 m.t. sold to ASEAN countries was valued at $400 million, up 55.7% compared to 2018.
China reported a 13.6% overall revenue increase year-over-year. Black tea exports were up 6.7% to 35,000 m.t. increasing in value by 24.5% to $350 million, according to China customs statistics. Black tea averaged $9.92 per kilo, up 16.72% year-on-year. Yu Lu, vice president of CFNA said the average annual compound growth rate of exports was 3% during the past three years. Green tea accounts for 82.8% of the total volume, which topped 367,000 metric tons last year. Trade with countries along the “belt and road’ increased 4% last year, earning China $560 million, a year-on-year increase of 307%, according to Yu.