China, India, Kenya, and Sri Lanka combined account for 78% of production and 73% of exports of tea market. Most of the tea produced in China and India is consumed internally while the bulk of the tea produced in Kenya and Sri Lanka is exported.

Two-thirds of tea production in China is in the form of green tea; India and Kenya mostly produce CTC black tea. Sri Lanka specializes in orthodox black tea, according to a report from the FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea.

Global black tea production is estimated to grow annually by 2.2% to reach 4.42 million tonnes by 2027, reflecting major increases in China, Kenya, and Sri Lanka. The expansion in China would be significant as its output should approach that of Kenya, the largest black tea exporter, underpinned by strong growth in domestic demand for black teas such as Pu’er.

Global green tea output would increase at an even faster rate of 7.5% annually to reach 3.65 million tonnes, largely driven by China, where green tea out...