The Dubai Tea Trading Centre, a Dubai government entity, has kicked off operations at its new blending facility.
The centre plans to explore more marketing opportunities, both in tea producing and consuming countries.
“The main objective (of setting up the blending unit) is to further enhance Dubai’s position as one of the leading and main tea trading hubs in the world,” said Ahmad Bin Sulayem, chief operating officer, Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre (DMCC). DTTC is an initiative of DMCC.
The European blending system — batch blender — is capable of blending all types and sizes of teas such as leaf, broken, CTCs and orthodox. With the option of blending different-origin teas, buyers would be in a position to maintain their product standards at competitive rates.
The facility is an enclosed area being exclusively used for blending.
Sanjay Sethi, project consultant for DTTC, said, “Since inception five months ago, we have done good business through the centre. Now, with the blending facilities becoming fully operational, it is time for us to further build on the success.”
In 2004, a total of 74 million kilograms of several varieties of teas were cleared into Dubai, primarily for re-export. A further 61 million kilograms were transshipped. DTTC has been operational for the past five months during which tea stocks from India, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Uganda have been transacted through the centre.
DTTC aims to raise these volumes and convert Dubai into a hub for storage of physical stocks of multi-origin teas.
“Physical stocks of multi-origin teas started arriving by early-March, and in the past three months, we have transacted 600 tonnes of multi-origin teas,” Sethi said.
Gulf News
