KOLKATA: The Indian tea industry is all set to capitalise on the Kenyan drought, trying to woo a high-power Pakistani delegation which has come shopping to India. The industry is also ready to develop blends to suit the Pakistani palate.

The 16-member delegation is headed by the chairman of the Pakistan Tea Association, which is the country's only association of its kind and is considered to be influential in the industry.

Industry sources said that Pakistan imported about 75 per cent of its annual tea requirement of 130 million kg from Kenya and was now facing problems with the drop in Kenyan tea output. "We will try to convince them of the risks associated with over-dependence on a single source," sources said, adding that alongside efforts were on to project before them that India could blend teas according to the preferences of the Pakistani market. While average prices of Indian tea were high, blends at prices matching those of Kenya could be made.

Although sustained efforts, since 2003, by the Government and the Indian Tea Association, have resulted in a three-fold increase in exports to one of India's closest markets, shipments of 9.3 million kg in 2005 were still low. Most of this was sourced from South India, since Pakistan considered prices to be cheaper there. "We will take them to tea-tasting sessions to show that blends could be made according to their preferences of quality and price," sources said.

According to Tea Board statistics, between January and December 2005, exports were lower at 187.6 million kg against 197.6 million kg in 2004. Prices too were somewhat depressed at Rs. 90 a kg against Rs. 93 a kg in 2004.

However exporters were happy that net tea exports were higher, since imports into India at 16.5 million kg were almost half of the previous year's level. The country's total earnings on this account in the period under review stood at Rs. 1,283 crore against Rs. 1,509 crore in the same period in 2004.

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