World Tea Day: The most consumed beverage in the world after water

It is not possible to confirm historical information about when this custom appeared, but one story says that it appeared at the hands of Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, in 1840.

The English love for tea appeared in classic children’s novels, including “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll in 1865 and “101 Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith in 1956, both of which were produced by Disney in the form of cartoons.

But on the other hand, the tea industry is a basic means of livelihood, and its cultivation and harvest are beset by many difficulties, and the United Nations dedicates International Tea Day this year to the role of women in the tea production sector.

The British non-profit Ethical Tea Partnership points out that tea, like many agricultural commodities, relies on a female workforce. Women constitute “the majority of the workforce among tea pickers worldwide,” according to the organization.

She adds that women working in agricultural sectors such as tea are particularly vulnerable to challenges, including limited access to education, the effects of climate change, and negative health outcomes.

She also points out that tea cultivation usually takes place on small lands and farms within rural areas. Women in these areas usually work longer hours than their male colleagues.

They often have lower literacy rates, are more vulnerable to gender-based violence, and are more vulnerable to food insecurity and poor health.

The work of many women working in the tea industry is focused on picking tea leaves, which is a labor-intensive job.

She adds that in all the regions where the organization works and where tea is grown, girls remain in education for a shorter period of time than their male counterparts. Girls are less likely to attend school in rural areas where tea is grown.

She continues that girls in tea-growing communities are subjected to a range of violations, including abuse, leaving education early, human trafficking, and underage marriage.

Tea production through its cultivation and processing constitutes “a major means of livelihood for millions of families in developing countries, and a basic source of livelihood for millions of poor families living in less developed countries,” according to the United Nations.

The tea industry constitutes “a major source of income and export revenues in some of the poorest countries, and it also provides job opportunities as a labor-intensive sector in remote and economically deprived areas in particular.”

The United Nations also considers that tea has an “important role in rural development, reducing poverty, and achieving food security in developing countries, as it is one of the most prominent cash crops.”

For its part, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that tea cultivation financially supports more than 13 million people, including small farmers and their families, who depend on the tea sector for their livelihoods.

It also indicates that the tea industry generates billions of dollars for countries’ economies.

Gains from tea exports also help cover food import bills, thus also supporting the economies of the major tea-producing countries.

The global tea industry has witnessed rapid growth over the past decades, with the number of consumers increasing worldwide, according to the FAO.

China, the Republic of Korea and Japan have four tea-growing sites that have been designated as Agricultural Heritage Systems of Global Importance by the Food and Agriculture Organization.

In 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that about 7 billion tons of tea were produced worldwide, with China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Indonesia among the major tea producers in terms of production volume.

According to consumer market forecasts from Statista, the size of the global tea market is expected to reach $266.7 billion by 2025.

According to the site, Turkey recorded the highest rate of tea drinkers in 2022, with nine out of ten people saying they drink the hot drink regularly.

Kenya, a major tea producer and exporter, also ranked highly among the 56 countries whose data was analyzed, with 83 percent of respondents saying they drink tea regularly.

The United Kingdom ranked slightly lower, with 59 percent of its population, estimated at about 66 million and 900 thousand, drinking tea.

On the other hand, Spain came close to recording the lowest percentage of tea drinkers, with just over a third of the population drinking tea regularly.

The US Department of Labor’s 2022 list of goods produced by child or forced labor includes India on the list of countries that use forced labor in tea production.

She says there are reports that men and women who work in tea production are subjected to forced and bonded labor in India. Evidence of forced and bonded labor has been found in Assam, with workers suffering unpaid or underpaid wages and withholding of benefits, as well as the threat of doing so.

She also noted that workers also do not have access to adequate housing, basic health care, and water. They have to borrow money from employers at high interest rates to provide for these needs. This has led to conditions of debt slavery.

She adds that “fewer workers are exposed to forced labor through physical and sexual violence, verbal abuse, and threats of violence and dismissal.”

The list includes Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam under the category of countries that use child labor in the tea industry.