BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. The volume of tea leaves purchased from local tea farmers in Iran increased by 21 percent, from the beginning of the current tea harvesting season (started April 21, 2023) to July 30, 2023, compared to the same period in the last season, Chairman of the Iran Tea Organization, Habib Jahansaz said, Trend reports.
Jahansaz added that a total of 97,900 tons of tea leaves were purchased from farmers in the country within the mentioned period.
He also said that the value of purchased tea leaves so far was 12.6 trillion rials (about $300 million).
The chairman noted that 56,800 tons of purchased tea leaves are 1st grade, and 41,100 tons are 2nd grade.
According to Jahansaz, so far, 6.52 trillion rials (about $155 million) has been paid to the farmers for the purchased tea leaves.
The official also pointed out that 22,000 tons of dry tea have been produced from purchased tea leaves.
“Overall, 135,000 tons of tea leaves are expected to be harvested and 30,000 tons of dry tea to be produced in the country in the current Iranian year (March 21, 2023 through March 19, 2024),” he added.
The Iranian Ministry of Agriculture Jihad has set the price of 1 kg of 1st-grade tea leaves at approximately 140,000 rials (about $3.33), and the price of 1 kg of 2nd-grade tea leaves at 115,000 rials (about $2.74).
Meanwhile, a total of 116,317 tons of tea leaves worth 9.49 trillion rials (about $226 million) were purchased from tea farmers in the last season. Some 26,171 tons of dry tea were produced from the mentioned amount of tea leaves.
In Iran, some products such as rice, sugar beet, wheat, and tea are purchased from farmers by the Government Trade Corporation (GTC) of Iran under a guarantee and paid for in installments.
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