NDO - The Australian market imported about six tonnes of tea, worth US$74,000, from Vietnam in the first half of 2021, up 62.1% in terms of volume and up 85% in terms of value compared to the same period in 2020.

The Import-Export Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade cited statistics from the International Trade Centre (ITC) as saying that Australia imported approximately 7,400 tonnes of tea in the first six months of 2021 at a total value of US$60.3 million, an increase of 27.2% in volume and an increase of 39% in value over the corresponding period in 2020.

The average price of imported tea in the first half of 2021 reached US$8,184.3 per tonne, up 9.2% over the same period in 2020.

India, Sri Lanka, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia are Australia’s the top five tea suppliers, accounting for 85.9% of Australia’s total tea imports in the first six months of 2021.

Vietnam only supplied a small amount of tea to the Australian market in the first six months of 2021, accounting for 0.08% of Australia's total tea imports, up 0.02 percentage points over the same period in 2020.

However, Vietnamese tea exported to the Australian market soared sharply in the first six months of this year with an increase of 62.1% in terms of volume and an increase of 85% in terms of value. The average price of imported tea from Vietnam reached US$12,308 per tonne, up 14.1% over the same period in 2020.

Both Vietnamese black and green tea are currently gaining favour in the Australian market.