Financial Tribune- Tea production is estimated to increase by at least 5% this year, thanks to favorable weather conditions and abundant precipitation, the head of Tea Farmers Union said.

�This year�s tea harvest will begin in the next few days,� Iraj Housemi was also quoted as saying by Young Journalists Club. According to Mohammad Vali Rouzbehan, the head of Iran Tea Organization, last year (March 2016-17) the government purchased from farmers more than 139,000 tons of fresh tea leaves worth 2.34 trillion rials (close to $62 million), of which 31,200 tons of dried tea were produced.

The government has a guaranteed purchase system in place for many crops, including tea, to build up its strategic reserves and control prices in the domestic market. Tea is cultivated in Iran�s northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran where 50,000 families earn their living from tea farming on more than 25,000 hectares of fields.