New tea body hints at global tea cartel
Some of the biggest tea producing nations have agreed to join forces in a bid to address major industry concerns. Following talks in Colombo, Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Indonesia, Malawi and Rwanda announced the formation of the International Tea Producer's Forum. As it stands, it represents more than 50% of global tea production. Prior to the event, the body was said to focus on operational and promotional tasks. However, the talks hinted at the possibility of forming a tea cartel intended to control the global price of tea, akin to the oil cartel Opec. The idea of production quotas was also floated. China, the largest producer of tea in the world, will remain on the sidelines of the Forum and has been granted observer's status.