India to expand tea business with Pakistan

Kochi, Mar.26 (ANI): To boost India's competitiveness as a major tea exporting country, India is negotiating with Pakistan to open a land route at Wagah. Talking to reporters in Cochin, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said that a delegation of tea industry associations led by the Tea Board Chairman will go to Pakistan next month where they will discuss the prospect of opening a new land route. Further he noted that India's export of tea to Pakistan, the second largest importer of tea touched 16 million kilograms in 2006, out of which 13 million came from South India.