China is a global green tea powerhouse, exporting more of the green leaf than any other country in the world. It is also a vast country with many tea growing areas producing a wide variety of teas. New areas of tea production are rising and increasing their yields while more established, and familiar tea provinces experience flatter growth or declines. These fluctuations have an impact on China’s export of green teas. Changes in points of origin within China for green teas affect the price of green teas, and potentially alters expectations regarding classic specialty tea characteristics and can give rise to new avenues for premium teas.
中国是全球绿茶大国，其绿茶出口量超过世界上其它任何国家。中国有广袤的茶区，生产多种茶类。新开垦的茶园不断增加，单产提高，但部分茶叶省份的茶园面积也有小幅增长和下降。这些波动对中国的绿茶出口会产生影响。中国绿茶产区的茶园面积变化会影响绿茶的价格，也可能改变消费者对特种茶的需求，为高档茶带来新的商机。
GREEN TEA IMPORT & EXPORT
绿茶进出口情况
China is the largest source of green tea in the US, accounting for 43 – 51 percent of annual green tea imports between 2015 and 2019. Noticeable gains in packaged green tea and organic green tea imports from China coincide with consumer data showing a growing preference for green teas over black teas.
Within the context of China’s total exports, the country retained 87% of its total tea production in 2019.
● 366,600 metric tons (13%) were exported● 83% of that export volume was green tea2019年，中国茶叶生产总量的87%用于内销，13%用于出口，出口总量36.66万吨，其中83%是绿茶。China’s green tea goes across the globe. A whopping 20%, or about 75 thousand metric tons, of China’s tea exports, go to Morocco. Morocco purchases vast quantities of green tea for both domestic consumption and re-export and by far the largest single importing country of Chinese green tea. The popularity of Moroccan mint green tea is the dominant contributing factor. The US takes a much smaller share of export volume, usually around 4% per year. In terms of dollar value, the US ranks number 6 – 8 on the list of China tea buying countries. Canada receives less than 0.5% of China’s tea exports. It is worth noting, however, that these numbers do not necessarily reflect the actual amount of Chinese tea in these countries’ markets. The US and Canada import packaged, blended, and flavored green teas from non-producing countries that can include Chinese green tea.中国的绿茶遍布全球。中国绿茶出口总量的20％（约7.5万吨）是出口至摩洛哥。摩洛哥购买大量的绿茶用于国内消费和再出口，是迄今为止中国绿茶的最大进口国。薄荷绿茶的普及是促使摩洛哥大量进口绿茶的主要因素。出口到美国的中国绿茶份额要小得多，通常每年约为4％。受美元汇率因素的影响，美国在中国茶叶购买名单中排名第6-8位。出口到加拿大的绿茶占比低于0.5％，然而，值得注意的是，这些数字并不一定反映中国绿茶在这些国家市场上的实际数量。美国和加拿大从非茶叶生产国进口包装茶、调配茶和调味茶，这些茶中也包括中国绿茶。
CHINA GREEN TEA PRODUCTION
中国绿茶生产
The last five years have shown China continues to increase its production of all teas, including greens. Green tea production grew 5% from 2017 to 2019 alone. In 2019, China reported producing 2.8 million metric tons of tea, a 19% increase from 2015. Breaking that production down by tea type results in:
China has about 16 provinces that each produce over ten thousand metric tons of tea. Still, the top 3 provinces (Fujian, Yunnan, and Hubei) contribute a combined total of 41% of the nation’s tea. These provinces provide significant portions of green tea but do so on varying scales based on the types of tea those provinces produce. For example, Yunnan Province has ranked number 3 on the list of green tea producing provinces, but only 45.8% of its total annual production is green tea. Zhejiang Province ranks number 4 on the list of green tea provinces, but about 92% of its tea production is green tea.
As regions go, the Western Belt of provinces (Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan) are the largest producers of green tea, contributing approximately 40% of China’s total. Guizhou is the single most significant contributor, delivering nearly 15% of all the nation ’s green tea. The Eastern Belt of leading tea provinces (Anhui, Fujian, and Zhejiang) supply about one-quarter of the total green crop, and these provinces are leaders in terms of tea exports.
随着地区的发展，西部省份（贵州、四川、云南）是最大的绿茶生产省份，约占中国绿茶总量的40％。贵州所产的绿茶占全国绿茶总量的15％。东部省份（安徽、福建、浙江）提供了绿茶总产量的1/4，这些省份也是主要的茶叶出口区域。
Yields (measured in kg per hectare) further reveal the gains being made in the Central Belt. China’s national average yield is around 900 kgs per hectare. Compare this to India with about 2,000 kg/hectare and Vietnam with 1,300, and China’s performance does not look quite so rosy. Here are two details that help clarify. First, China’s more northerly position means its plants cannot necessarily produce the volumes found in warmer climates. Secondly, a growing proportion of China’s fields are new. The Central Belt provinces saw a 31% gain in the total tea field area from 2010 – 2019. Guizhou in the Western Belt saw a 179% gain in tea fields over the previous ten years.
China will continue to lead the world in green tea, but the origin points within China will continue to shift to new areas. Shifts in domestic and global consumer preferences will also help determine the characteristics of teas produced, including quality level and flavor profile.
