Turkey's tea exports surpassed 17.5 million in the first half of the year, shipping tea to more than 100 countries and territories.

From Jan. 1 through June 30, the country exported 2,602 tons of tea, generating 17.5 million in revenue.

Belgium, the U.K. and Turkish Cyprus emerged as the top three buyers of Turkish tea, importing 5.4 million, 3.5 million and 1.2 million worth, respectively.

Rize, a prominent agricultural province in northern Turkey known for its dramatic mountain tea plantations, drove the bulk of the trade. The province alone exported 1,575 tons of tea to 20 countries, accounting for 44 percent of Turkey's total tea export revenue, at 7.7 million.

Interest in Turkish tea remains robust in European countries and the Far East. In addition to growing its market share in Belgium and the U.K., the industry is targeting new customer bases in North America and the Gulf countries.

Turkish tea is often marketed globally as the only tea in the world on which snow falls.

Source Hurrieyard Daily (Extracts), Courtesy Tea Exporters' Association Sri Lanka