Tea · guide
India is one of the largest exporters in the chapter that contains tea. This guide covers how an Indian exporter chooses markets, decides between bulk and packed tea, and turns customs data into a buyer list.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $11.7B | 2024 |
| Germany | $6.5B | 2024 |
| France | $4.0B | 2024 |
| Italy | $3.4B | 2024 |
| Canada | $2.4B | 2024 |
| Spain | $2.2B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | $11.8B | 2024 |
| India | $5.2B | 2024 |
| Vietnam | $4.7B | 2023 |
| Germany | $4.5B | 2024 |
| Switzerland | $3.9B | 2024 |
| China | $3.6B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 09 (coffee, tea, mate and spices). Source: UN Comtrade.
In the latest reported year India exported $5.2B of goods in HS chapter 09 and ranked 2 of 96 reporting exporters. Brazil led at $11.8B, with Vietnam at $4.7B in 2023, Germany at $4.5B and Switzerland at $3.9B just behind. The number is a useful sign of standing, but it is a chapter total covering coffee, tea, mate and spices together, so it is not India’s tea exports on their own.
Two other things distort the picture. Germany and Switzerland appear as large exporters largely because they re-export and process goods sourced elsewhere, which is why an origin country and a shipping country are not the same thing. For an Indian tea exporter the lesson is practical: the buyers you want may be blenders and packers in those hubs, buying leaf from origins like yours, as well as end markets abroad.
Tea has two commercial lanes. In the bulk lane you sell leaf in sacks to importers, blenders and packers, who then blend and brand it for their own consumers. In the packed lane you sell retail-ready tea bags, boxes or gift caddies, often under a buyer’s private label. Customs treats the two differently, because the tariff splits tea by whether the immediate pack is up to 3kg or above.
The lanes need different capabilities. Bulk sales reward consistent grading, reliable lot sizes and good sample discipline. Packed sales need food-grade packing lines, label compliance for the destination and design work, but they keep more of the margin at home. Many mid-size exporters start with bulk and add packed lines once they understand one market well.
The biggest chapter 09 import markets in the latest year are the United States at $11.7B, Germany at $6.5B, France at $4.0B, Italy at $3.4B, Canada at $2.4B and Spain at $2.2B. These are chapter-wide totals, so treat them as a map of purchasing muscle, not of tea demand. A country large in coffee and spices may be modest in tea, and the reverse.
To get to tea, take each candidate market into customs shipment records and filter to the tea heading, 0902. You will see which companies import, from which origins and in what quantities. If India already appears as an origin, you have proof that the route works and a list of consignees to approach. If it does not, the market may be closed to you for a reason worth understanding before you spend on samples.
Tea goes under heading 0902, with 090210 and 090220 for green tea and 090230 and 090240 for black and partly fermented tea, split by immediate pack size of 3kg. India uses a longer national tariff code beyond these six digits, and your export declaration must carry it. Confirm it with your customs broker for each product line rather than reusing an old invoice.
Indian exporters generally need a business registration, a tax registration, an importer-exporter identity, a bank account authorised for foreign exchange, and membership or registration with the relevant export promotion body for the sector. Check the current requirements with the customs authority and the commodity’s promotion body, since procedures and portals change.
Work out your cost per kilogram from leaf purchase or production, sorting and grading, packing materials, warehousing, inland transport to the port, and the paperwork fees. Then decide the Incoterm. FOB from an Indian port is the simplest for a new exporter, because the buyer arranges ocean freight. Quoting CIF wins some buyers but ties you to a freight rate that can move before the order is confirmed.
Quote in a currency your buyer can actually pay and your bank can convert. Add a validity period to the offer and state the pack, grade and quantity tolerance. Do not lift price ideas from a chapter-level statistic: trade value divided by anything is not a price, and the data on this site reports values, not quotes.
Tea usually travels from growing regions to a port by road or rail, so plan for the time in transit and the humidity on the way. Use sealed, lined containers, keep the tea pallets off wet floors, and never load it beside pungent cargo. Long monsoon-season transits raise the risk of moisture damage, and a desiccant or liner is cheap insurance next to a rejected lot.
Book with a forwarder who handles food-grade cargo and who understands the destination’s import inspection habits. Ask about free days at the destination port, since delays there can add cost and, for a buyer on a tight blend schedule, damage the relationship.
Expect the commercial invoice, packing list, shipping bill or its equivalent declaration, bill of lading and often a certificate of origin. Plant-health and quality certificates are usually required by importers, but confirm them for each destination. Ask the buyer for their importer’s checklist in writing, and align your paper to it before the goods leave the warehouse.
Compliance also covers the destination’s food rules: residue limits, labelling and packaging materials. Ask which standards the buyer will test against, and obtain a laboratory report from a lab the buyer accepts. These are the checks that decide whether a shipment clears smoothly.
Build a list of fifteen to twenty importers, but only work the top handful properly. Read each one’s shipment history: how frequent, how large, which origins, what pack sizes. Open with a short message that shows you know their pattern, attach a product sheet and offer a sample. The free marketplace on this site lets you also list your product so buyers searching for tea can find you.
In the latest reported year India shipped $5.2B of chapter 09 goods, second among 96 exporters, and that total covers tea alongside coffee and spices. That covers coffee, tea, mate and spices together, so it is not a tea-only figure.
The United States leads at $11.7B, followed by Germany at $6.5B, France at $4.0B, Italy at $3.4B, Canada at $2.4B and Spain at $2.2B. Filter to the tea heading to see tea-specific buyers.
Heading 0902. Green tea is 090210 or 090220 and black or partly fermented tea is 090230 or 090240, split by whether packs exceed 3kg. Indian customs extends the international code with national digits, so have your broker confirm the complete tariff line.
Bulk needs consistent grading and lot sizes and suits blenders and packers. Packed tea needs packing lines and label compliance but keeps more margin at home. Many exporters begin with bulk and add packs later.
Filter customs shipment records for the tea heading in your target market, review consignees who already buy from India, and approach them with a sample. You can also list your product on the free marketplace.
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