Good news pouring in once again from the world of tea: India’s tea export has registered a significant increase during 2024. As reported prominently on the front page of the Saturday edition of this newspaper, a report of the Tea Board of India has revealed that while the country exported 209.14 million kg of tea from January to October in 2024, it is an increase of 24.68 million kg over the export quantity of the corresponding period of 2023. India had exported 184.46 million kg of tea between January and October 2023. What is also more encouraging is that the price of exported tea had also marked a significant increase during the given period of 2024 in comparison to the same period the previous year, which in turn has increased foreign exchange earnings for the country as a whole. Assam has more reasons to rejoice because of the 209.14 million kg of tea exported during January-October 2024; the North India zone alone accounted for 124.25 million kg—roughly about 60 percent. Assam produces the bulk of tea in the North India zone, followed by West Bengal. It is also important to take a look at the value of tea exports. The Tea Board report says that Indian tea exporters earned Rs 5709.16 crore during January-October 2024, in comparison to Rs 4953.49 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year. As far as the price of exported tea is concerned, while tea went out at an average of Rs 272.98 per kg during 2024 against an average price of Rs 268.54 per kg in 2023, there was an average increase of Rs 4.48 per kg. Tea, which is the most popular non-alcoholic beverage in the world, is also often described as a beverage of well-being. Research has proved that the most important medicinal value of tea is that it is anti-carcinogenic. That is exactly why increasingly more and more people are preferring tea over other beverages across the world. According to reports, the global consumption of tea, which amounted to 7.3 billion kg during 2023, is estimated to reach 8.3 billion kg by 2029. Following the Covid pandemic, the traditionally observed health benefits of tea are consistently highlighted in both consumer and producer markets, and more research is ongoing to take the issue further. It is pertinent to note that though most producing countries are at present actively promoting domestic tea consumption, the export markets remain of vital importance to their economy. As far as Assam, which produces more than 50 percent of tea in the country, an increase in tea exports is very important not just to the nation’s economy but also for the overall socio-economic scenario of the state.