Vietnams tea exports fall in both volume and revenue

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam’s tea exports in the first eight months of 2018 dropped 10.1 percent year on year in volume to 81,000 tonnes, and 7.4 percent in value to 133 million USD, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Pakistan was the largest consumption market of Vietnamese tea with export value of 37.3 million USD, 33.6 percent of the total. It was followed by Taiwan (China), Russia, China, Indonesia and the US, with respective values of 15.6 million USD, 12.8 million USD, 9.5 million USD, 5.4 million USD and 4.3 million USD. 

Notably, the export of tea to Pakistan in the first seven months of 2018 increased 1,500 tonnes or 9.7 percent compared to the same period last year. 

Export volume to Taiwan (China), China, Malaysia and the US also respectively  rose 4.8 percent, 6.1 percent, 16.2 percent and 7.1 percent. 

However, strong falls of tea export were reported in Russia and Saudi Arabia in the January-July period, dropping 1,300 tonnes or 13.2 percent and 2,000 tonnes or 60.9 percent, respectively. 

The Department of Farm Produce Processing and Market Development under the MARD said domestic tea enterprises are facing difficulties caused by the trade war between the US and China. 

It is necessary to have policies to support domestic tea firms in accessing capital and investing in technologies for intensive processing of tea products, the department said. 

Attention should be also paid to devising measures to increase domestic consumption of tea, and diversifying tea products, especially organic and specialty products, towards increasing added value, it noted