Belt and Road Initiative benefits Ningde's tea

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2015-05-20

During the first four months of 2015, over 70 percent of tea from Ningde, Fujian province, was exported to markets along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Ningde exported 567.68 tons of tea and related products, worth $19.50 million, from January to April, said the local entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau.

About 73.5 percent of tea exports, or $14.34 million, went to countries along the belt and road. Emerging markets, like Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Morocco, accounted for 43.7 percent of the total.

In recent years, the county’s tea factories tried to develop highly processed products and improve packaging to add value. Accordingly, the export price has quadrupled from $8.55/kg in 2013 to $34.35/kg in 2015.

Ningde, in the northeast of Fujian, is a famous tea producing area. Its tea production has amounted to 75,800 tons, accounting for 23.6 percent of provincial and 4.3 percent of national output.