China has become the world's biggest producer and consumer of tea, said the country's minister of agriculture, Han Changfu, at the opening ceremony of the First China International Tea Expo.
China produced more than 2.4 million tons of tea in 2016, with a cultivated area of 2.87 million hectares, ranking number one in the world. In addition, tea consumption in China has surpassed 2 million tons.
Both tea and its culture originated in China, Han said. Chinese people started cultivating tea more than 5,000 years ago. As a symbol of the ancient Silk Road, tea was also a bond between China and the rest of the world.
China becomes world's largest tea producer - People's Daily Online
China produced more than 2.4 million tons of tea in 2016, with a cultivated area of 2.87 million hectares, ranking number one in the world. In addition, tea consumption in China has surpassed 2 million tons.
Both tea and its culture originated in China, Han said. Chinese people started cultivating tea more than 5,000 years ago. As a symbol of the ancient Silk Road, tea was also a bond between China and the rest of the world.
China becomes world's largest tea producer - People's Daily Online