“So far, 22,000 tons of processed tea have been derived from this amount of fresh leaves. We expect the harvest to stand between 110,000 and 120,000 tons by the yearend, from which around 25,000 tons of dried tea will be produced,” Habibollah Jahansaz was also quoted as saying by the Young Journalists Club.
The official added that domestic demand for tea stands at around 110,000 tons per year, and therefore, around 85,000 tons need to be imported.
Tea annually undergoes three harvests: the spring harvest starts in late April, the second in summer begins early June and the last one is in autumn and starts late September, according to Financial Tribune.
Tea is cultivated in Iran’s northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran where 50,000 families earn their living from tea farming on more than 25,000 hectares.
The government has a guaranteed purchase system in place for many crops, including tea, to build up its strategic reserves and control prices in the domestic market.