India eyeing to export 20 million kg tea to Egypt
India eyeing to export 20 million kg tea to Egypt
PTI
Coimbatore: About two decades after losing the flourishing tea market in Egypt, the Indian tea industry has drawn up an ambitious plan to increase exports from two million kgs now to 20 million kgs in the next few years.
Seeking to recapture its share in the Egyptian tea market, where India had a good share in CTC segment till the early 90s, the United Planters’ Association of Southern India and the Tea Board have joined hands to set up an India Tea Promotion Centre in Cairo.
An UPASI team had already visited Cairo recently and held ‘fruitful´ negotiations with a government-run company there and the centre would possibly become operational by the year end, UPASI Secretary-General Ullas Menon told PTI.
With the festive season of Ramzan beginning next month, the company preferred to discuss further modalities later, he said.
Stating that the Union Commerce Ministry and the Tea Board had identified Egypt, Iran and Pakistan as thrust areas for improving tea exports, Menon said India had a substantial market share in the CTC segment till the early 90’s.
The Board was running a tea centre in downtown Cairo, but was wound up in 80’s and even today the road, where the Centre existed continued to be known as ‘Mamarr Al-Shay Al-Hindiy´, which means ‘The street of Indian Tea´, he said.
Based on a suggestion by the commerce ministry, UPASI had taken the initiative to re-establish the centre on a Public-Private Partnership involving the association and the Tea Board, Menon said.
What we propose is setting up of a marketing establishment for Indian teas under the supervision of a consultant there, he said.
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