Waiting for Chinese attention

Darjeeling, March 3: China may have introduced tea to the world, but it is only now that the Communist state is preparing to market its produce globally.

China has started preparations for hosting the 2007 International Tea Convention with Tea and Coffee Exhibition in an effort to provide a platform for cooperation among tea producing nations and create opportunities for trade and investment.

China had hosted the 2005 edition of the convention at Hangzhou, but the 2007 event promises to be bigger. It is being billed as the Olympics of tea in international tea circles.

More than 500 people involved in tea production in 31 countries had participated in the event in 2005.

?The 2005 event was a huge success and the convention this year is expected to be very big. We will invite you (representatives of the Indian tea industry) to the event,? said Huang Hanqing, leader of a 13-member Chinese delegation, which reached Darjeeling today.

The date and the venue of the event, however, have not been officially announced.

The team is here to find out more about Darjeeling Tea and explore the possibility of cooperation in the field. ?We do not know much about Darjeeling Tea,? Hanqing admitted. Another member said: ?Though the brand is famous in most parts of the world, many people in China do not know what it is. One has to go to Hong Kong to buy a packet of Darjeeling Tea and it can cost anything like US $ 100 per kg.?

Though China imports around 1.98 million kg of tea annually, India?s share in it is only about 3 per cent.

Tea industry sources said a broadbase agreement for bilateral trade in tea should first be discussed at the government level for better cooperation and greater penetration of Darjeeling Tea in the Chinese market.