‘S. India tea will be India's major source for Pakistan'

A tea delegation from India will visit Pakistan in the current year, according to Mr Mohammed Hanif Janoo, Chairman of Pakistan Tea Aassociation (PTA). The visit, to be led by the Indian Tea Association (ITA), would take place most probably in September, Mr Janoo, who is leading a 13-member tea delegation from Pakistan currently here, said.

Confirming this, Mr C.S. Bedi, Chairman of ITA, said: “PTA has extended an invitation to the ITA to visit Pakistan to assess the market there and we've accepted it.” The dates of the visit, however, are yet to be finalised.

South India

Mr Janoo, while talking to Business Line, made it clear that South India would continue to be the major source of supply of tea from India. The delegation would be visit Kochi shortly. Pakistan's tea import from India, mostly South Indian varieties, was steadily rising, from about one million kg in 2001 to around 24 mkg now, and would continue.

Asked if Pakistan would also step up the buying of the north Indian varieties, the PTA Chairman was non-committal as he felt much would depend on how the market would behave. Price, certainly, was an important factor because Pakistan was a price-sensitive market and North Indian teas were not so cheap but then the regularity of supply too was critical.

“The North Indian production, like that in many other tea-growing parts globally, has suffered so far this year due to unfavourable weather”, he said. “The Indian tea delegation, when it arrives in Pakistan in September, should be in a position to give the clearer picture of the crop”.

Kenyan output

Kenya, he said, was still the largest supplier of tea to Pakistan. “But we would not like to depend too much on single country and instead, would like to diversify our sources and India stands a fair chance”, he said. “The unfavourable weather has hit the Kenyan production so far this year”.

The ITA Chairman expressed hope that the supply of north Indian teas to Pakistan should be up by an estimated eight million kg in the next few years . “The good quality Dooars priced at $2.8 a kg could well compete with the Kenyan varieties averaging $3.20 or so,” he said.