Guwahati: Green tea will grow at a faster rate than black tea, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has said.

FAO said this in a report on current market situation and medium term outlook which was placed at the 23rd session of the Intergovernmental Group at Hangzhou in China from May 17-23. The report was made public on Monday.

"By 2027, world black tea production is projected to increase by an annual growth ra-te of 2.2 per cent to reach 4.42 million tonnes, reflecting major increases in China, Kenya and Sri Lanka. The expansion in China will be significant as output should approach that of Kenya, the largest black tea exporter," it says.

The world green tea output will increase at a rate of 7.5 per cent annually to reach 3.65 million tonnes, again reflecting an expansion in China, where the output is expected to increase from 1.53 million tonnes in 2015-2017 to 3.31 million tonnes in 2027.

his is expected to be a result of increased productivity, and not expansion in area, through higher-yielding varieties and better agricultural practices.

India does not figure in the top four green tea-producing countries of the world, which are China, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The report lists the factors contributing to expansion in tea consumption as growth in per capita income, awareness of the health benefits of tea and product diversification, which attracts more customers in non-traditional segments such as young people.

"The rapid growth of black tea consumption in China is due to the popularity of brick teas such as Pu'er, which are heavily promoted for their health benefits," it says.

Market promotion in tea-producing countries is based on health benefits of tea and research towards empirically supported evidences for health implications of tea consumption needs to be strengthened, the report adds.

The report says new growing markets are building on product innovations and diversification into new segments of consumers.

It says demand for tea has accelerated because of the ongoing retail revolution and growing investment into tea education - where it is sourced, the benefits of drinking tea, how to properly brew it - bringing new clientele to know more about tea.

It lays emphasis on promoting tea culture-based market development and immersion in the cultural identity of societies across the world to sustain and expand consumption.