Iran's tea harvests plagued by mismanagement and droughts
Local farmers in Iran halted this year's third tea harvest due to financial mismanagement and poor weather conditions. The head of the Iranian association of tea farmers said producers could not properly prepare themselves for the third harvest because the government had transferred just 2% of total payments due from first and second harvests. He also blamed inappropriate pricing policies and poor plantation management. Output from second harvest was already down 40% compared to last year, whereas only 10,000 tons of green tea leaves were plucked during the third one, compared to 40,000 tons in the same period a year ago. Iran exports tea to many international markets, including Germany, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.