NCE participates in third China Xiamen International Tea Fair

Friday, 26 October 2012 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) participated in the third China Xiamen International Tea Fair, held from 19-22 October 2012. The NCE delegation was headed by M. Shiham Marikar – Director Trade Promotion and comprised seven tea exporting companies.

The NCE delegation at the Xiamen Tea Exhibition Centre entrance

Xiamen Tea Fair is a prestigious international trade fair dedicated exclusively to showcasing the latest in the tea industry. The total exhibition area consisted of 22,000 square metres accommodating 1,000 standard booths. The 2012 edition of the fair increased participation of countries with separate national pavilions and attracted more than 50,000 trade visitors.

NCE had its own pavilion comprising seven Sri Lankan tea export companies. Ambassador Tea, Asia Tea Packaging (Pvt) Ltd., GTL Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Lanka Serenities, Lumbini Tea Factory (Pvt) Ltd., Union Commodities (Pvt) Limited, and Venture Tea Company (Pvt) Limited were in the NCE delegation. All the above companies had nine sqm stalls and two representatives from each company manned the stalls, meeting with potential buyers.

The tea industry in Sri Lanka has performed exceptionally well in the Chinese market and has achieved remarkable growth year on year. Commonly known as red tea (hong cha), black tea accounts for 1-2% of China’s huge RMB 80 billion tea market.

Innovative marketing strategies adopted by the Sri Lankan industry such as different flavours and modern packaging are winning new consumers from the younger generation. The results clearly indicate that although black tea consumption is a new experience, it is gaining a wider popularity in China.

NCE organised a complete package for its delegates, covering stall bookings, stall construction, air tickets, hotel accommodation, and shuttle service to and from airport, hotel and the exhibition centre. These services were well appreciated by the delegates.

Participation at the China Xiamen International Tea Fair provided excellent opportunities for the growth of Ceylon Tea in the rapidly developing hospitality and retail markets in China.

NCE plans to participate in two to three more tea related exhibition in emerging markets during 2013. Interested exporter companies are requested to contact the chamber to receive the 2013 events calendar via tel 0114344931 or email [email protected].