Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture will double the budget to revitalize tea plantations in the country, expecting a significant surge on tea production, local newspapers reported.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture will double the budget torevitalize tea plantations in the country, expecting a significant surgeon tea production, local newspapers reported.
Indonesia is nowthe world’s seventh-largest tea producer, after China, India, Kenya,Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Turkey. Indonesia’s tea has the highest catechin(natural antioxidant) content in the world.
The ministry’sspice and herbs director, Azwar Abu Bakar, said land conversion of teaplantations has reached a high level of 2,000 hectares per year in thelast five years, resulting in a decline in the country’s tea output to146,682 tonnes in 2013 from 156,506 tonnes in three year earlier.
In2013, the country shipped abroad only 70.841 tonnes worth 17.5 millionUSD, lower than the 87.100 tonnes worth 178.5 million USD recorded in2010.
The ministry had allocated 50 billion Rp (4.32 millionUSD) to revitalize 3,200 ha of tea plantations in West Java this year,with a target of 147,704 tonnes in tea output.
West Java wasselected because 60 percent of the country’s tea plantations are locatedin the province. Apart from West Java, the budget will be earmarked forrecovering tea planting areas in other localities.-VNA
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