Understanding Tea

United Arab Emirates’ Flourishing Tea Trade: Exporting and Importing Insights

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a thriving hub of international trade, has established itself as a significant player in the global tea market.

Tea Imports Exports

Tea Exports from the UAE

In 2021, the UAE recorded an impressive $316 million in tea exports, ranking it as the world’s 5th largest exporter of tea. Among the various products exported by the UAE, tea held the 87th position in terms of export volume during the same year. The primary destinations for the UAE’s tea exports included Saudi Arabia, accounting for $65.5 million, followed by Kuwait at $34.7 million, Iraq at $28 million, Russia at $25.7 million, and China at $25 million.

Emerging Export Markets

Between 2020 and 2021, the UAE experienced notable growth in its tea exports, particularly in emerging markets. The fastest-growing export markets for Emirati tea during this period were China, with an impressive increase of $24.3 million, followed by Bahrain at $7.02 million, and Russia at $3.51 million. These figures underscore the UAE’s expanding presence and growing demand for its tea products in these markets.

Where Does UAE Export Its Tea (2021)

ContinentCountryTrade Value
AfricaAngola241,123
AfricaBurundi2,766
AfricaBenin1,773
AfricaBurkina Faso141,572
AfricaBotswana102
AfricaCentral African Republic6,015
AfricaCote d’Ivoire215,428
AfricaCameroon159,459
AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo10,435
AfricaRepublic of the Congo78,425
AfricaComoros3,630
AfricaDjibouti24,169
AfricaAlgeria209,548
AfricaEgypt6,722,786
AfricaEritrea20,455
AfricaEthiopia56,607
AfricaGabon118,196
AfricaGhana1,381,587
AfricaGuinea555,292
AfricaGambia39,955
AfricaEquatorial Guinea1,634
AfricaKenya13,355
AfricaLiberia22,856
AfricaLibya641,734
AfricaMorocco339,843
AfricaMadagascar7,670
AfricaMali33,335
AfricaMozambique26,545
AfricaMauritania18,039
AfricaMauritius2,036
AfricaMalawi2,451
AfricaNiger20,735
AfricaNigeria628,733
AfricaRwanda65,137
AfricaSudan189,845
AfricaSenegal9,090
AfricaSierra Leone6,479
AfricaSomalia759,025
AfricaSouth Sudan26,101
AfricaEswatini277
AfricaSeychelles74,519
AfricaTogo227,811
AfricaTunisia17,982
AfricaTanzania13,893
AfricaUganda32,941
AfricaSouth Africa455,363
AfricaZambia8,871
AfricaZimbabwe193
AsiaAfghanistan2,092,647
AsiaArmenia152,429
AsiaAzerbaijan491,799
AsiaBangladesh291,194
AsiaBahrain10,727,066
AsiaChina24,982,892
AsiaCyprus314,905
AsiaGeorgia150,237
AsiaHong Kong588,215
AsiaIndonesia157,942
AsiaIndia3,758,029
AsiaIran8,101,989
AsiaIraq27,990,731
AsiaIsrael423,256
AsiaJordan1,083,715
AsiaJapan2,083,786
AsiaKazakhstan419,946
AsiaKyrgyzstan241,657
AsiaCambodia8,278
AsiaSouth Korea447,595
AsiaKuwait34,700,331
AsiaLaos3,199
AsiaLebanon1,136,277
AsiaSri Lanka115,484
AsiaMaldives156,393
AsiaBurma26,103
AsiaMongolia311,817
AsiaMalaysia2,406,506
AsiaNepal8,428
AsiaOman19,877,668
AsiaPakistan1,944,048
AsiaPhilippines126,918
AsiaPalestine203,953
AsiaQatar121,205
AsiaSaudi Arabia65,538,202
AsiaSingapore159,250
AsiaSyria227,101
AsiaThailand1,431,594
AsiaTajikistan326,429
AsiaTurkmenistan2,875,583
AsiaTurkey215,828
AsiaUzbekistan2,613,884
AsiaVietnam431,696
AsiaChinese Taipei412,762
AsiaYemen2,790,346
EuropeAustria458,669
EuropeBelgium2,719
EuropeBulgaria387,453
EuropeBosnia and Herzegovina122,780
EuropeBelarus60,159
EuropeSwitzerland19,694
EuropeCzechia2,026,354
EuropeGermany2,833,213
EuropeDenmark63,814
EuropeSpain182,497
EuropeEstonia101,579
EuropeFinland35,627
EuropeFrance689,731
EuropeUnited Kingdom588,939
EuropeGreece134,505
EuropeCroatia119,362
EuropeHungary52,374
EuropeIreland1,334
EuropeIceland146
EuropeItaly2,129,624
EuropeLithuania180
EuropeLuxembourg367
EuropeLatvia385,963
EuropeMoldova133,532
EuropeNorth Macedonia320
EuropeMalta17,028
EuropeNetherlands1,191,990
EuropeNorway55,568
EuropePoland5,270,549
EuropePortugal160,322
EuropeRomania3,329
EuropeRussia25,748,672
EuropeSerbia28,561
EuropeSlovakia30,574
EuropeSlovenia179,128
EuropeSweden1,151,513
EuropeUkraine4,346,802
North AmericaAruba242,643
North AmericaBermuda4
North AmericaBarbados391,144
North AmericaCanada2,947,812
North AmericaCuba3
North AmericaCuraçao46,239
North AmericaJamaica140,639
North AmericaMexico132,136
North AmericaNicaragua18
North AmericaEl Salvador79
North AmericaTrinidad and Tobago756,504
North AmericaUnited States7,509,137
North AmericaSaint Vincent and the Grenadines18,100
OceaniaAustralia18,300,265
OceaniaNew Caledonia76,010
OceaniaNew Zealand278,662
South AmericaBrazil86,287
South AmericaChile121,146
South AmericaGuyana157,875
South AmericaSuriname75,573
South AmericaUruguay31,223

Tea Imports into the UAE

In 2021, the UAE imported tea valued at $264 million, ranking it as the 6th largest importer of tea worldwide. Among the diverse range of imported products, tea held the 161st position in terms of import volume in the UAE during the same year. The UAE primarily sourced its tea imports from Sri Lanka, accounting for imports worth $98.4 million, followed by Kenya at $68 million, India at $56.3 million, China at $11.6 million, and Poland at $4.15 million.

Emerging Import Markets

The UAE’s tea imports also witnessed substantial growth between 2020 and 2021. The fastest-growing import markets for tea in the UAE during this period were Sri Lanka, exhibiting an impressive increase of $58.6 million, followed by India at $14.6 million, and China at $5.61 million. These figures highlight the UAE’s expanding preference for tea from these countries and the evolving trends in tea consumption among its population.

Where Does UAE Import Its Tea From (2021)

ContinentCountryTrade Value
AfricaAngola259
AfricaBurundi12,046
AfricaCote d’Ivoire46,809
AfricaCameroon2,160
AfricaComoros256
AfricaAlgeria196
AfricaEgypt1,620,830
AfricaEthiopia10,006
AfricaKenya67,979,595
AfricaMorocco631,990
AfricaMali654
AfricaMozambique125,412
AfricaMauritius21,234
AfricaMalawi1,212,266
AfricaNiger4,963
AfricaNigeria237
AfricaRwanda519,359
AfricaSudan126
AfricaSierra Leone344
AfricaSouth Sudan1,091
AfricaTunisia480
AfricaTanzania537,856
AfricaUganda667,425
AfricaSouth Africa29,757
AfricaZimbabwe326,153
AsiaArmenia1,917
AsiaAzerbaijan90,705
AsiaBangladesh948,889
AsiaBahrain51,788
AsiaBhutan1,842
AsiaChina11,555,047
AsiaHong Kong15,746
AsiaIndonesia4,071,568
AsiaIndia56,348,731
AsiaIran192,487
AsiaIsrael5,196
AsiaJordan591,052
AsiaJapan650,782
AsiaSouth Korea43,285
AsiaKuwait423,082
AsiaLaos24
AsiaLebanon8,867
AsiaSri Lanka98,366,188
AsiaMaldives8,025
AsiaBurma155,274
AsiaMalaysia680,731
AsiaNepal17,501
AsiaOman436,655
AsiaPakistan567,568
AsiaPhilippines37,546
AsiaQatar158
AsiaSaudi Arabia809,300
AsiaSingapore888,253
AsiaSyria418
AsiaThailand432,880
AsiaTurkey320,975
AsiaVietnam2,452,733
AsiaChinese Taipei210,883
AsiaYemen434,561
EuropeAustria306,489
EuropeBelgium202,989
EuropeBulgaria27,274
EuropeBosnia and Herzegovina2,654
EuropeSwitzerland6,826
EuropeCzechia8,499
EuropeGermany540,191
EuropeDenmark633
EuropeSpain156,949
EuropeEstonia319
EuropeFinland549
EuropeFrance536,471
EuropeUnited Kingdom957,811
EuropeGreece47,723
EuropeCroatia17,859
EuropeHungary90,981
EuropeIreland44,026
EuropeItaly218,057
EuropeLatvia49
EuropeNetherlands160,651
EuropePoland4,150,288
EuropePortugal147
EuropeRomania232,034
EuropeRussia287,844
EuropeSerbia4,945
EuropeSlovakia637
EuropeSlovenia57,297
EuropeSweden24,239
EuropeUkraine76,440
North AmericaAntigua and Barbuda3,842
North AmericaBahamas2,817
North AmericaCanada67,111
North AmericaDominica1,364
North AmericaGrenada7,538
North AmericaPanama177
North AmericaUnited States1,137,171
OceaniaAustralia293,372
OceaniaFiji383
OceaniaNew Zealand7,098
OceaniaPapua New Guinea178
South AmericaArgentina30,002
South AmericaBolivia9
South AmericaBrazil52
South AmericaColombia20,219
South AmericaGuyana5
South AmericaPeru24
South AmericaParaguay110

Vietnam Tea: A Popular and Reliable Choice for UAE’s Imports

Vietnam tea has consistently been a popular and trustworthy choice for UAE, thanks to its premium quality and competitive pricing. In 2021, UAE imported tea from Vietnam with a total value of $2,452,733, marking a 6% increase compared to the previous year. Vietnam holds a significant position as an important supplier of tea to UAE, catering to its tea requirements effectively.

Conclusion

The United Arab Emirates has emerged as a significant player in the global tea trade, showcasing its prowess as both an exporter and importer of tea. With substantial tea exports to neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, the UAE demonstrates the quality and popularity of its tea products. Simultaneously, tea imports from Sri Lanka, Kenya, and India underline the UAE’s role as a major tea consumer, driven by a diverse population with varying tastes. Keeping a close eye on emerging markets such as China, Bahrain, and Russia is crucial for the UAE to tap into new trade opportunities and meet the evolving demands of tea enthusiasts. As the UAE continues to navigate its tea trade landscape, fostering strong trade relationships and monitoring tariff policies will be vital for sustained growth and success in this dynamic industry.

Data: BACI

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