28 October 

Over 80 ethnic farmers in Phruso have learnt about tea leave production processes at the Hoyar-Biyar border development camp in Phruso yesterday. They were taught the processes from the stage of plucking to drying tea leaves during the training conducted by the Township Agricultural Department.

The majority of tea leaves are grown in northern and southern Shan State.

According to the Myanmar Tea Producers Association, Myanmar will export some 10 tons of green and dry tea leaves to Germany, and export 17 to 20 tons of organic raw tea leaves to the United States every year.

The local market is a stronghold for both green and dry tea leaves. Foreign consumers have been enthusiastic about the taste of Myanmar tea leaves.

Tea leaves are separated into various categories, based upon taste and quality for local markets, while organic tea leaves are aimed at foreign buyers.

The price for Myanmar tea leaves range from US$6 to $10 per kilogram, based on the quality.

As 90 per cent of the components in tea leaves provide benefits for health, exporters must guarantee its quality along the supply chain from raw to finished products. 

U Moe Thu (Phruso IPRD)(Translated by Kyaw Zin Lin)