India surpasses Sri Lanka to become the world's second-largest tea exporter.

India became the world's second-largest exporter of tea in 2024, with 254 million kg sold, according to figures given by the Tea Board of India. India overtook Sri Lanka to grab the second position in the world's tea export rankings, but Kenya continued to hold the top spot. In 2024, Kenya exported more than 500 Mkg of tea.

In terms of tea exports, India and Sri Lanka were tied at about 231 Mkg in 2023, but India surpassed the island nation in 2024 with 24 Mkg more exports. India's export margins for 2024 were second-best only to its exports of almost 256 Mkg of tea in 2018. In 2024, India exported Rs 7,112 crore worth of tea.

Although India's exports have been between 200 and 225 Mkg for the past few years, with the exception of 2018, this remarkable increase has given the tea sector hope that it could reach the 300-Mkg milestone by 2030. An average of 1,400 Mkg of tea are produced annually in India.

The orthodox segment has accounted for the majority of exports, and its expansion has been aided by a number of recent initiatives from the federal government and state governments. According to Prabir Kumar Bhattacharjee, secretary general of the Tea Association of India, "the industry is hopeful of increasing its export basket in the years to come with the favorable export policy by the Center and support by the state governments."