India's tea sector closed FY 2025-26 with its highest-ever export earnings, ₹8,718.83 crore, up 12% on the previous fiscal year, the Department of Commerce and Tea Board India said at a stakeholder meeting in Kolkata on June 9.

Export volume reached 282.11 million kilograms, a 7% rise over FY 2024-25, while production touched an all-time high of 1,382.74 million kilograms, according to figures presented at the Tea Board's head office by Joint Secretary Amit Kumar and Deputy Chairman C. Murugan.

"With focused market development efforts, we are confident of sustaining export volumes at the record levels achieved last year," Murugan said.

The gains came even as geopolitical tensions disrupted West Asia, historically among the largest buyers of Indian tea. Exporters responded by pushing into China, North Africa, Canada, and Egypt, the Tea Board said, part of a wider diversification the department credited for cushioning the sector against the disruption. Kumar tied the tea figures to the country's broader export trajectory, noting India's total exports have grown from USD 468 billion in 2014-15 to USD 863 billion in 2025-26.

The Tea Board also pointed to domestic promotion as part of the push, citing campaigns at airports, railway stations, metro trains, and educational institutions meant to build brand equity for Indian tea at home.

Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Department of Commerce Highlights 12 Years of Transformative Growth; Tea Sector Records Historic Export Performance.