"Perkebunan Nusantara Holding has successfully improved its export performance, especially of tea commodities to the US," PTPN III Marketing Director Dwi Sutoro remarked in a release here on Saturday.
According to the release, the company partnered with Starbucks Corporation, which has more than 32 thousand outlets in 79 countries, to continue tea purchases by 2022. The value of international trade totaled US$496 thousand.
The sales of tea commodities by PTPN III to Starbucks have become a trend in the previous years. Last year, PTPN III's sales of tea to Starbucks totaled US$322 thousand.
Based on the data, Perkebunan Nusantara Holding was able to increase the value of tea sales contracts by 54 percent by 2022.
A test by Eurofins laboratory in Germany showed that tea produced by Perkebunan Nusantara was of quality standard.
"We have been shipping tea to the Starbucks center in Seattle, the US. The shipment can be carried out after we receive the eligibility results from Eurofins," Sutoro noted.
This achievement not only improves business performance of the PTPN Group but also contributes to the global need for tea and generates foreign exchange for the country, he stated.
"According to government data in 2021, the market share of tea from Indonesia globally is two percent. Our success, which is getting a buyer from the US, will maintain the contribution of the plantation subsector to the total exports as well as sustain the trend of the trade balance surplus," Sutoro explained.
PTPN III has an area of over 20 thousand hectares of tea plantation and produces more than 50 thousand tons of dry tea per year.
PTPN III is optimistic of tea commodity exports again showing a rapid increase, as the company has been able to meet the quality specifications requested by buyers abroad.
Related news: Diversify agriculture, products to boost income potential: Minister
Related news: PTPN III aims for self-reliance in sugar production
Related news: Krakatau Steel, PTPN proofs of successful transformation of SOEs: govt
Translator: Aji C, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
