Tea exports to the UK increased more than 100% in nine months

The UK's tea imports in the first 9 months of 2020 saw a significant increase of 14.2% in volume and 4.2% in value compared to the same period in 2019, totaling 102,760 tons and worth $264.6 million. Kenya was the primary supplier, contributing 57.8% of the total tea imports with a volume increase of over 22%, followed by Malawi and India. Vietnam emerged as a notable new supplier, seeing a 90% increase in volume and 104% increase in value in the tea imports, despite making up a small proportion of the total imports. The average import price per ton of tea decreased by 8.8% compared to the previous year. Black tea was the dominant type of tea imported, with a 13.8% increase in volume and a 4.5% increase in value, primarily from Kenya. Green tea imports also saw a rise, with a 26.6% increase in volume but only a 1% increase in value due to a decrease in average import price. The share of green tea imports from Vietnam increased from 5.2% in 2019 to 7.4% in 2020, indicating a growing contribution from the country.