Financial Tribune - Around 101,000 tons of fresh tea leaves worth 2.01 trillion rials ($17.1 million) have been purchased from local farmers since the beginning of the current Iranian year on March 21, registering a 4% increase compared with the similar period of last year, the head of Iran Tea Organization said.

�So far, 22,000 tons of processed tea have been derived from this amount of fresh leaves. We expect the harvest to stand between 110,000 and 120,000 tons by the yearend, from which around 25,000 tons of dried tea will be produced,� Habibollah Jahansaz was also quoted as saying by the Young Journalists Club.

The official added that domestic demand for tea stands at around 110,000 tons per year, and therefore, around 85,000 tons need to be imported.