Chinese tea production to hit record high  

中国茶叶产量继续创新高　广州茶博会首设专业观众日

今年中国茶叶产量有望突破170万吨，再创历史新高。“全球茶叶第一展”-2012中国(广州)国际茶叶博览会22日开幕，本届广州茶博会会期为5天并首设专业观众日，以有效促进交易。

Guangzhou (CNS) -- China's tea production is expected to exceed a record-high 1.7 million tons this year, Zhang Liming, secretary-general of the Guangdong Tea Association, said on Thursday at the opening of the China (Guangzhou) International Tea Expo.

We saw a decrease in production due to adverse climate conditions in early spring, but luckily the weather quickly turned warm in most tea-growing areas of the country by the end of March, when production began to rebound, said Zhang.

Green tea is losing its traditional advantage while red tea, black tea and other types are becoming more popular, Zhang noted.

Guangdong Province is home to 40,000 hectares of tea plantations with steady output growth, he said.

The expo, which is recognized as a top tea fair worldwide, runs till the 26.