Since the beginning of the harvest season four months ago, close to 116,000 tons of fresh tea leaves worth over 200 billion rials (nearly $56.9 million) have been purchased from local farmers by the government, according to the head of Iran Tea Organization. “It is estimated that the volume will increase to 130,000 tons by the yearend,” ISNA quoted Mohammad Vali Rouzbehan as saying. Tea is cultivated in Iran’s two northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran where 50,000 families earn their livings from tea farming in 25,000 hectares. The government has a guaranteed purchase system in place for many crops, including tea, in order to build up its strategic reserves and control prices in the domestic market.
