Global tea imports rise spurred by US demand

Global tea imports rise 1.5% spurred by US demand

Global tea imports rose 1.5% in 2004, helped by rising US demand for the fragrant leaves, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said. Global net tea imports reached 1.42 million metric tons in 2004, the Rome-based organization said. The US bought 99,000 tons, 5.3% more than in 2003. That’s more than double the growth in the European Union, where imports rose 2.4% to 215,000 tons.

“Most of the growth in these markets is reportedly in response to promotional efforts on the health benefits of tea consumption,” the FAO said. “Available evidence from medical research suggests that moderate consumption of tea offers protection against heart and blood vessel disease, some cancers, and bacterial infections.”

Kenya and Sri Lanka are the world’s biggest tea suppliers. Unilever NV’s Lipton, Tata Tea Ltd, which owns the Tetley brand, and Associated British Foods Plc’s Twinings business are the world’s top suppliers of the beverage.

“In response to increased demand, global tea production rose 2% to an estimated 3.2 million tons,” it said. “The expansion in production was due mainly to the increases recorded in Turkey, China, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka and Indonesia,” the organization said. “The growth in output from these countries more than offset declines in other major producing countries, including India and Bangladesh.”

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