DMCC announces 5th Global Dubai Tea Forum 2014

DMCC, Dubai’s and the region’s global gateway for commodity trade and enterprise, is to host the 5th Global Dubai Tea Forum 2014 from 8 - 10 April 2014 at the Sofitel Dubai, Palm Jumeirah.

Over 300 delegates from over 30 tea producing and consuming countries from suppliers and manufacturers to producers, exporters, importers and ancillary industries are all expected to attend this year. Following the success of the Global Dubai Tea Forum 2012, this year’s event will see plenty of panel discussions and debates related to the latest trends, innovations, opportunities and developments in the tea sector.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC commented on the event: “Dubai has quickly emerged as one of the leading global hubs for the tea trade where 2013 saw our DMCC Tea Centre alone double the volumes of tea handled in comparison to 2012. In 2013, the total trade volume of tea through Dubai increased by 29% to 129 thousand tonnes, and the value increased by 34% to US$ 463 million in comparison with 2012.

It is a prosperous time for tea with exciting opportunities for those who seek them and the Global Dubai Tea Forum provides a unique platform for those keen to access news markets by strengthening international relations and industry trading ties. We look forward to welcoming industry participants from all across the globe to Dubai and the Global Dubai Tea Forum 2014.”

Today, the UAE is the largest re-exporter of tea globally with over 60% of the world’s market share. Combine that strength with Dubai’s ideal location between the producing and consuming countries along the ‘New Silk Route’ and its unrivalled infrastructure including world-class cargo facilities, ports and airports that connect to over 220 destinations – the Emirate is all set to host the Global Dubai Tea Forum 2014.

Sanjeev Dutta, Director, DMCC Tea Centre, said: “The DMCC Tea Centre aims to enhance the value of goods as it moves though the supply chain from the growers’ plants to the consumers’ cups, and to support our members throughout the process. This year we are focused on diversifying our product lines to include specialty teas of varied flavours available and further improving our facilities and services available to our customers, ensuring more flexibility and reinforcing our position as a true partner.”

As for what the future holds for the DMCC Tea Centre, Dutta, added: “In 2013 we handled around 13 million kilos, a volume that made it a record year for the centre, and that figure is only expected to grow further this year. A big focus for the DMCC Tea Centre this year is to work with industry leaders to centralise their procurement and distribution operations out of Dubai. If we achieve this, we would expect a five or even seven-fold growth in the bulk volume handled through the tea centre by the end of 2014.”

The DMCC Tea Centre was established in 2005, close to the Dubai Ports and offers a business centre, storage, blending solutions, professional advisory and tea tasting services for international tea producers and buyers.

The Global Dubai Tea Forum 2014 aims to provide a holistic view of the tea market with participants from around the world and across the entire supply chain looking at the future of tea, anticipated consumer habits and in-depth regional analyses.

John Brash, Founder of Brash Brands will give the keynote address at the Global Dubai Tea Forum 2014. Other speakers include Manuja Peiris from the International Tea Committee Ltd, Imdat Sutluoglu from the Turkish National Tea Council and Rachmat Badruddin from the Indonesian Tea Board, to name a few. More details about the GDTF 2014 are available on the website globaldubaiteaforum.ae.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Apr 1, 2014

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