In 2022, China's tea production amounted to 3.35 million metric tons, a record high volume. Majority of the tea produced was green tea.
Agricultural production overview
Although agriculture is an important source of income for many Chinese people, its contribution to the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP) is considerably less than that of the services and the industry sector. However, the contribution of the agricultural sector in China is remarkably high when compared to those of other developed countries. In the United States, for example, which is the world’s leading agricultural supplier, the agricultural sector contributed less than one percent to the country’s total GDP in 2021. The same year, China’s agricultural sector contributed over seven percent to the GDP and generated a gross production value of over 7.8 trillion yuan, employing around a quarter of its total population.
The majority of China's cultivated land is used for food production. Rice production plays an essential role in China’s agriculture as well as in people's everyday life, making China the leading rice producer worldwide. Besides rice, wheat, corn, oleiferous plants, tea, and tobacco production are also important parts of agriculture in the country.
Tea cultivation
China has a centuries-old tradition of tea production and consumption. The total area of tea plantations, located mostly around Yangtze river and other southern regions, reached aroound 3.3 million hectares by the end of 2021. Green tea, which does not undergo a process of fermentation, is by far the most produced and consumed variety of Chinese teas. The industry produced around 1.8 million metric tons of green tea in 2021. China is not only the world’s largest tea producer, but also the leading exporter, supplying the world with over 350 thousand metric tons of tea annually.
Tea production volume in China from 2000 to 2022
(in 1,000 metric tons)
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (April 20, 2023). Tea production volume in China from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/275639/tea-production-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Tea production volume in China from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons)." Chart. April 20, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 29, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/275639/tea-production-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2023). Tea production volume in China from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 29, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/275639/tea-production-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Tea Production Volume in China from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 20 Apr 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/275639/tea-production-in-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Tea production volume in China from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/275639/tea-production-in-china/ (last visited September 29, 2024)
Tea production volume in China from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 metric tons) [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, April 20, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/275639/tea-production-in-china/