Iran has shown keen interest to import Indian tea. The Iran State Trading Organisation (STO), which plans to buy 10 million kg of tea, has targeted India to meet its requirement.

The STO chairman along with other officials will visit Calcutta shortly for a formal discussion with the Tea Board.

Iran’s renewed interest in Indian tea is a fall-out of the Consultative Committee of Planters’ Association’s (CCPA) recent visit to that country.

Iran is interested in buying orthodox tea. Indian tea industry has kept an ambitious target of exporting 225 million kg of tea this year compared with 190 million kg of tea 1999.

Gautam Bhalla, chairman of the export promotion and marketing sub-committee of CCPA said, There is a lot of activity in the private sector too. A number of such Iranian buyers are likely to visit Calcutta in July since they are convinced that more orthodox is going to be manufactured this year compared to last year.