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Serendib Express (Pvt) Ltd. will launch domestic air services by flying to Jaffna on September 9. The Company has already got down an AN24 RV, 48 seater aircraft to the country, Director Marketing and Administration Darshana Herath Gunaratne told the Daily News yesterday.

The new domestic air service is the second airline to be given approval by the Director General of Civil Aviation and it will operate flights to Jaffna, Trincomalee and Wirawila. The air service will be initially operated from Ratmalana to Jaffna and later extended to China Bay and Wirawila. The airline has been provided with a modern office complex and a full-fledged hanger at the Ratmalana Airport.

HAMBURG - At first sight it might seem that India's ranking as the leading supplier of tea in a predominantly coffee-drinking nation such as Germany was nothing to write home about, given its traditional popularity in the Darjeeling tea stakes among the highly quality-conscious German consumers.

A closer look reveals that tea was able to hold its own despite the shifting sands of consumer preferences, that saw growing competition from other beverages such as fruit drinks, herbals and innovative drinks and retain its position as Germany's most important supplier of tea in 2001, even as other hot drinks such as coffee and cocoa declined in popularity according to a report released by the Hamburg-based German Tea Association (GTA).

The emerging truth is that tea drinkers in Germany remained true to their habits and continued to demonstrate a remarkable quality-consciousness, as shown by the marked preference for the speciality tea. Germans consumed 19,370 tons of tea in 2001 as against 19,760 tons in 2000, which was equivalent to a per capita consumption of approximately 250 grams, a level that has remained fairly steady in the past few years. Traditional roles

India and Sri Lanka retained their traditional roles as the top two suppliers to the German tea market in 2001 with a 17% and 14.8% share respectively.

China, which was the second biggest supplier in 2000, dropped to the fourth position in 2001 (13.7%), behind Indonesia, which supplied 14.4% of Germany's tea.

It was indeed welcome news that "the cup that cheers" was being conspicuously sipped with relish and downed as a popular and trendy health beverage by an increasing number of youngsters as well as senior citizens and recently by the middle segment as well according to GTA sources.

Tea imports into Germany in 2001 rose by more than 9,000 tons, totalling 44,394 tons, whilst exports of tea from Germany to other consuming countries increased by 31.44% to touch 22,357 tons, which was more than half the amount drunk.

What was more, classical black tea expanded its market share in 2001 and now accounts for 82% of all tea consumed whilst 18% of all tea drunk is green tea, mainly from China (which was practically unheard of five years ago).

For the first time, organic teas also had a small profile in 2001, with the Germans consuming some 525 tons of it (black and green tea) equivalent to 2.7% of all tea.

Therapeutic properties

Senior citizens have been found to be increasingly turning to the black brew with fervour on account of the perceived therapeutic properties of the liquid and hence this age group will continue to grow markedly in the next decade, it has been pointed out.

That tea is no stranger to Germany has been well established by the North German district of East Frisia, traditionally a heavy tea drinking district, whose consistent habits have resulted in a per capita consumption of 2.6 kilograms, ranked as among the highest in the world.

Indeed, the East Frisians drank ten times more tea than the rest of Germany, ranking fourth among the world's most avid tea drinkers alongside Ireland, Great Britain and Turkey. The East Frisians were also known to consume relatively greater quantities of the strong brew of Assam tea from India.

"German tea drinkers are more quality conscious than consumers in any other country", says the Tea Association's Chairman, Jochen Spethmann, adding that the German tea trade was traditionally committed to maintaining this high quality standard by keeping the market continually supplied with a wide selection of fine quality tea.

India has been able to capitalise on this quality-consciousness of German consumers through its premium Darjeeling brand as well as other brands of tea, both strong as well as medium varieties. Understandably, Darjeeling tea commands the best prices, ranging from 3.8 euros for a tiny 50-gm pack to 8.8 euros and more for a 100-gm packet at the retailers, depending on the preferences of the customers.

Health and longevity

Quality-consciousness has combined with health-consciousness in the German consumer to influence his taste buds and assure him of beneficial properties through imbibing the beverage. A slew of research findings emanating from various quarters overseas has added to the public perception of its hitherto unknown contributions to health and longevity.

Recent surveys in Germany and abroad have shown that polyphenols, found in high concentration in tea, were very useful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, reducing the risk of breast, colon and oral cancers. Tea had the capacity to steadily suppress blood lipids, thus diminishing the proclivity to high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Tea was also a rich source of antioxidants called flavonoids which have been found to be effective in improving blood circulation and the health of skin. Tea intake strengthened the human immune system. Interestingly, the severity of inflammation due to smoking could also be reduced by drinking tea. Be it burns or insect-bite, a wash of the affected area with tea extract would have a healing effect.

And if these properties were not enough, researchers at a South Korean university are reported to have established the fact that a regular intake of tea, yes, the black variety, will contribute to a retardation of the ageing process! The proviso was that it should be drunk 'light', meaning the tea should not be left to boil in the pot for long.

"Tea is well perceived as an enjoyable beverage with sound health credentials", opined GTA's Spethmann, who pointed to the popularity of tea among German consumers in the fact that, among other things, tea was purchased by every second household in Germany last year.

The lion's share of tea consumed in Germany was sold by food retailers (58%) followed by the speciality tea shops, which accounted for 16.5% of sales. Gastronomy and bulk consumers took third place (some 5%), with mail order houses coming in last, reports GTA. The picture has changed little in recent years. Tea is generally imported in bulk and first lands at Hamburg where Germany's tea trade is centralised.

"Indian tea has a high rating in the German market and it is our endeavour to increase our exports, especially of the finer qualities", said Ms. I. Huq, Director of the India Tea Board, also based in Hamburg. Economic significance

The economic significance of tea as a universal beverage has been reflected in the growth of the international market, which indicated that worldwide tea production in 2001 increased by 108,684 tons, totalling 3.1 million tons of tea in the final tally. However, indigenous consumption in the producing countries has remained more or less at the previous year's level, whilst exports accounted for 46.1% of world production, an increase of 1.2% against the previous year, GTA sources stated.

India's tea exporters have also been quick to spot the emerging trend of organic teas in the German tea market. Tea producers in Darjeeling are reported to have already allocated sections of their plantations to production of organic teas through recycling biological products, composting and intercropping, and using ecological diversity to control pests and diseases.

Flavoured teas also enjoyed wide acceptance among German consumers, with Earl Grey topping the list of favourites, followed by vanille. So-called Christmas teas (spice-flavoured) were quite popular, too, in addition to orange and caramel flavoured teas, GTA sources pointed out. "Whatever the individual preferences, tea is a product that gives excellent value for money, making it one of the most attractive beverages you can buy," Spethmann said.

Courtesy Goethe Institut Inter Nationes

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