Viet Nam's tea output ranks eighth worldwide
(06/19/2003 -- 20:48GMT+7)
Ha Noi, June 19 (VNA)-Viet Nam ranks fifth in tea acreage (108,000 hectares) and eighth in annual tea output (74,812 tonnes) among 20 tea growing and processing countries in the world.
The announcement was made by Doan Duy Khuong, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) at a workshop to introduce Viet Nam's tea held in Ha Noi on June 19.
Representatives of the Russian, Ukrainian, Algerian and Pakistani embassies in Viet Nam, domestic enterprises and international tea importers were present at the workshop.
Viet Nam has exported tea to 50 countries and territories worldwide with Russia, Taiwan, the Middle East and east- European countries being major importers, he said.
Tea acreage will be expanded by 4,000 hectares by the end of this year and the country's position in the world tea market would be higher in the near future, according to estimates of the Ministry of Trade.
However, Mr Khuong said Viet Nam's tea development has not lived up to its potential, citing that the country's tea export volume currently makes up only 3-4 percent of the world's total.
The same day, representatives of domestic tea enterprises attended a talk on building tea trademarks and new methods to enter demanded markets such as Japan, the United States and Europe.
