Azerbaijani tea was presented at the tea exhibition held at the headquarters of FAO in Rome

Azerbaijan was represented at the conference and exhibition held by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at its headquarters in Rome on May 21 - International Tea Day.

By giving a speech at the conference, Director General of FAO, Gu Dongyu, mentioned about the current situation of tea cultivation in the world, the economic importance and potential opportunities of this field. Speaking about the importance of the International Tea Day, the Director General said that for several years on May 21, the organization has gathered representatives of leading countries engaged in tea production, experts and specialists working in the agricultural field. It was noted that this sector plays an important role in ensuring employment, increasing export potential and farmers' income.

Rashad Aslanov, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan to FAO, gave detailed information to the participants about the development of tea growing in our country, implemented projects and state support. He noted that the joint nomination of Azerbaijan and Turkiye at "Tea culture: a symbol of identity, hospitality and social relations" was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022, and mentioned about the tea traditions in our country.

He talked about the special place of tea in Azerbaijani culture and said that the tea table is a symbol of hospitality of our people. Rashad Aslanov shared his views on the prospects of the tea growing sector, growing quality products and increasing productivity, building a value chain, and the role of this sector in reducing poverty.

R. Aslanov, also mentioned that the southern regions of Azerbaijan specialize in the field of tea cultivation, noted that our local teas are promoted both inside and outside the country, and the export geography is expanding every year.

Azerbaijani teas were presented at the exhibition and aroused the great interest of the participants. At the Azerbaijan stand, the visitors got acquainted with a variety of local tea, as well as national sweets, and got interesting information about the tea culture.

To recall, in December 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring May 21 as International Tea Day. In the celebration of this year's International Tea Day, in addition to Azerbaijan, China, Russia, Sri Lanka and Kenya were represented by tea stands, while Brazil and Indonesia were represented by coffee stands.