Kathmandu, October 12:

A delegation of Nepali tea producers has left for Beijing to take part in the China Tea Expo that will be on from October 12 to 15.

Led by senior vice-president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Suraj Vaidya, the team includes chairman of NTDC/Triveni group Subash Sanghai, chairman of Nepal Small Tea Producers’ Ltd Dilip Rai, director of Himalayan Shangri-La Tea Producers (Pvt) Ltd Kamal Mainali and tea expert Andrew Gardner from Guranse Tea Garden, Dhankuta.

The Chinese embassy has provided three stalls for free to the Himalayan Orthodox Tea

Producers’ Association, Nepal (HOTPA-Nepal), according to a press release.

The Nepali delegation is expected to explore new avenues for the export of black orthodox tea to China. It will also study the viability of using Chinese machines for Green and Oolong tea processing, specially for small producers.

China, one of the largest tea growing nations, produces nearly 800 million kg annually. Nepal produces around 14 million kg tea including 1.7 million kg orthodox tea, according to HOTPA-Nepal.