The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Iran celebrated the International Tea Day in Tehran on 21 May 2023 together with a Mobile Promotion Event of Ceylon Tea. The Event was arranged in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tea Board and Iranian Tea Research & Development Expert and Social Media Activist Hassan Afshari. The function focused to raise public awareness and popularize the Ceylon Tea among tea consumers in Iran enabling Sri Lanka to expand the Ceylon Tea market in West Asia.
International Tea Day is a United Nations (UN) observance celebrated annually on May 21 to express the economical, biological and physical benefits of tea and was inaugurated by the UN General Assembly in 2019. The observance of International Tea Day is facilitated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with other relevant organizations and stakeholders.
The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Islamic Republic of Iran G.M.V. Wishwanath Aponsu and Iranian Tea Expert Hassan Afshari together with the Embassy Tea Promotion Staff demonstrated the best way of brewing Ceylon Tea to general public and presented them for testing the difference of Ceylon tea flavor. Major Ceylon tea grades and seven regional tea flavors of Sri Lanka were on display at the promotion event and Ceylon tea samples were distributed among tea consumers.
In associating with the International Tea Day 2023 Celebration, the Embassy Tea Promotion Unit facilitated wide publicity for the Sri Lanka Tea Board article on “A New Chapter of Ceylon Tea” and its social media campaign through both the print media channels and the social media platforms in Iran. As a result, Iran News published an article on “Sri Lankan Tea Industry Celebrates Major Gains by the Smallholder Sector despite Economic Challenges” on 22 May 2023.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka, together with relevant stakeholders constantly makes efforts to secure Ceylon tea market in West Asia specially Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan both at the policy and operational levels. The Mobile Tea Promotion is one of the Sri Lanka Embassy latest initiatives of promoting Ceylon Tea in Iran.
Iran is one of the largest tea consuming markets in the world. The annual tea consumption of Iran is estimated at around 120 KG million. With a population more than 80 million, Iran reflects per capita tea consumption for a person exceeding 1.5 KG per year which is definitely on the high side.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Tehran
24 May 2023
