Tea imports decline 7% in 2011
Tea imports declined 7% to 18.60 million kg worth R172.69 crore in 2011 calendar year, according to the Tea Board data. The country had imported 20.04 million kg of tea worth R214.44 crore in the year-ago period. The unit value of tea increased marginally to R92.84 per kg in 2011 from R92.26 in 2010. India, the world?s largest consumer of tea, imports tea leaves solely for re-export to other countries. The dip in imports, thus, signals lower re-exports.