Iran's tea industry is brewing for a successful year, with production expected to reach 145,000 tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 2024 - March 2025), according to the head of Iran's Tea Organization (ITO).

 

Tea farmers have already harvested a significant portion of the crop, with over 45,000 tons collected so far, Habib Jahansaz said, adding that nearly 90% of this harvest, exceeding 39,800 tons, is classified as high-quality tea leaves.

The ITO has played a key role in supporting farmers, purchasing all the harvested tea leaves to date, he said.

The ITO head put Iran's annual tea consumption at around 100,000 tons, with domestic production currently meeting about 30% of that demand. The remaining 70% is fulfilled through imports.

Jahansaz sees the strong domestic demand as a sign of significant potential for further growth in Iranian tea production. “This focus on increasing domestic production could lead to a future reduction in reliance on imports.

Tea harvest season in Iran starts in farmlands across the northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran in early May.

More than 55,000 families grow tea over 28,000 hectares of farmland in the two provinces, accounting for 90 percent of the country’s total tea production.