BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24. Approximately 52,700 tons of tea leaves worth 7.21 trillion rials (about $172 million) were purchased from local tea farmers in Iran’s Mazandaran and Gilan provinces, since the beginning of the current tea harvesting season (started April 21, 2023) in the country, Chairman of the Iran Tea Organization, Habib Jahansaz said, Trend reports.
This is an increase of 9 percent in volume compared to the same period in the last season, Jahansaz added.
In Iran, tea leaves are purchased from local farmers by tea factories and the Iranian Government Trading Corporation (GTC).
The chairman noted that 46,600 tons of the purchased tea leaves are 1st grade, while 6,070 tons are 2nd grade.
According to Jahansaz, so far, a total of 2.15 trillion rials (about $51.2 million) has been paid to farmers in exchange for purchased tea leaves, which accounts for 30 percent of the total amount.
Jahansaz also said that 11,800 tons of dry tea were produced from purchased tea leaves.
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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