India to share spotlight at Global Dubai Tea Forum 2008

Dubai, Feb 4: India will share the spotlight at the upcoming second Global Dubai Tea Forum, organised by Dubai Tea Trading Centre (DTTC), from February 19-20, 2008 here at the Hyatt Regency.

DTTC announced that two unique events are being organised during the forum to familiarise the trade and consumers with the quality attributes of both Darjeeling and south Indian tea.

The Global Dubai Tea Forum will organise a tea tasting session of various Darjeeling tea, with the objective of providing an insight into the special characteristics of the world famous Darjeeling tea.

In addition, the United Planters Association of Southern India and the Tea Board of India will host the fourth Golden Leaf India Awards: Southern Tea Competition (TGLIA-STC), which will recognise and acknowledge exceptional taste and quality among some 60 varieties of south Indian tea.

''With Dubai and DTTC's fast-growing recognition as an emerging hub for the global tea trade, our biennial forum has generated an extremely strong response from international tea-producing, trading and consuming communities,'' Sanjay Sethi, Head of DTTC was quoted by the WAM news agency as saying.

''In addition to facilitate networking and business development opportunities for members of the trade, events such as the Golden Leaf India Awards and Darjeeling tea tasting session underline DTTC's commitment to raise awareness of the industry towards driving global appreciation of different varieties of tea. We look forward to work closely with the Tea Board of India to make these dedicated events a success,'' he added.

Priya Kumar, Director of Tea Promotion, Tea Board of India, said the West Asia-North Africa region, of which Dubai is an important trading hub, is a major market for Indian tea, and more than 35 per cent of India's total tea exports are to this region.

While the unique characteristics of Darjeeling tea will be presented through a special tea tasting session, the south Indian tea will be showcased through a tea competition where the best estates of south India would participate and the winning tea would be selected by an international jury of upto eight expert tea tasters.

UNI