A delegation led by Tea Research Institute (TRI) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of China, attended the 24th Session of Intergovernmental Group on Tea, held online on February 23rd by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

“Tea can play a leading role in our path to build a better world where no one is left behind,” said Dr. Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General, in his opening remarks to the event.

“To end world hunger and poverty, it is critical that we transform our agri-food systems,” Qu added, “and tea can play a role in this transformation.”

Convened by the Secretariat of the FAO Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea, the session was attended by government officials and experts from more than 20 member countries and international observers. Participants were updated with the latest trends of the global tea market and the development of the tea industry in selected member countries, and learnt the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry as well as countermeasures taken by the governments.

Member countries also identified the next steps of the Group, including the establishment of a new working group dedicated to research and promotion of health benefits of tea—the new working group will be chaired by China and co-chaired by Canada.

Prof. Ruan Jianyun, Deputy Director General of TRI, also head of the Chinese delegation, was elected the second vice chairperson and opened the session. In a later-on section, Prof. Ruan introduced how China reinvigorates its tea industry after reeling from the shock of the pandemic and eyes for broader prospects of the industry by leveraging tools such as big data and e-commerce.

The FAO-IGG session on Tea, held every two years, is an important intergovernmental platform for consultation and discussion on tea-related issues ranging from tea quality standards, pesticide MRLs, tea smallholders and the promotion of global tea trade.

By Zhouximai (zhouximai@caas.cn)