An official Mozambican delegation has met in Kolkata with several leaders of the Indian tea industry, who were asked for support to help re-launch existing plantations in Mozambique, reports the Indian press.

At the meeting overseen by the head of India’s Tea Board, M.G.V.K. Bhanu, the Mozambican ambassador in the country, José Maria Morais, reiterated his government’s belief in Mozambique’s tea potential.

“There are 39,000 hectares of tea plantations, 2,400 of which are in the hands of private companies,” said the ambassador, adding “Mozambique needs investment and know-how”.

Morais invited the Indian tea industry entrepreneurs attending the meeting to visit Mozambique to assess possibilities for investing in the country.

Mozambique’s tea industry in centred in the Gurué district of Zambezia province and once counted 12 plantations, of which only five currently operate. The others were abandoned during the 16-year civil war. (macauhub)