"Saudi Food 2005" :

US$2,00,000 orders for Lanka tea

BY IRANGIKA Range

SRI LANKAN participants at the " Saudi Food 2005" a food and beverage trade fair who included two leading tea exporters have received orders amounting to around US$ 2,00, 000 while over US$ 3,00,000 future orders are under negotiation.

Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) has organised the national pavilion. This was the largest food and beverage exhibition, which was held from May 22 to 26 in Saudi Arabia.

SLTB official and the former Sri Lanka Tea Commissioner in Russia, Upali Kahandawa said it was important to participate in the fair because Saudi Arabia is one of the largest tea markets for Sri Lanka.

The exhibition was very successful and over 150 exhibitors from 22 countries participated. A special feature of the event was it was opened only businessmen and over 12,000 people attended the show," he said. He said Sri Lanka exports approximately 23,000 metric tones of tea to Saudi Arabia.

Our Local tea brands have big demand in the Saudi Arabia tea market and Dilmah is the most popular brand in Sri Lanka.

Local participants gained more benefits such as strengthening present business links, built new trade links in the Saudi market and identified new developments in the market. They gained first-hand information on importers, distributors, packers, wholesalers, retailers, consumers, consumer preferences and market trends too," he said.