Victorian cuisine

Workers from African countries filled the void to pick tea in the Black Sea province of Rize after nationals of Georgia and Azerbaijan could not come to Turkey as the borders were closed in line with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Turkey earned over $15.4 million when it exported over 4,000 tons of tea to 100 countries in the first 11 months of 2020, according to Eastern Black Sea Exporters' Association data.

Turkey's tea export revenue increased 17% in the January-November period year-on-year, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency.

Turkey on May 12 announced that tea producers will be allowed to travel to the cities their fields are located in with a special permit as partial restrictions continue in the country.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that tea producers will be allowed as of May 19 midnight following the lifting of a four-day partial curfew.

Tea growers in the eastern Black Sea region are desperately looking for workers to harvest tea on their land plants after authorities have introduced curbs on travel and limited entrance to and exit from the cities.

Potential tea plantation workers are offered a salary of 6,900 Turkish Liras (around $1000) and all social security benefits.

Turkey earned over $3.8 million in revenues with exporting tea to 75 countries in the first three months of 2020, according to Eastern Black Sea Exporters' Association data.

Turkey's tea export revenue soared by 51 percent in the first quarter compared to last year, said the data revealed on April 15.

The country has exported 1,047 tons of tea during this period.

Local growers shipped 4,000 tons of tea to 110 countries last year to generate $15.3 million in export revenues, Anadolu Agency has reported, citing data from the Eastern Black Sea Exporters' Association (DKİB).

Last year's exports marked a 15 percent increase compared with 2018 when tea exports stood at around 3,600 tons.

Turkey leads the world in tea consumption per capita, so how much does it cost to sip a cup of the country's favorite hot beverage in its largest metropolis?