Turkey's ÇAYKUR continues large‑scale fresh tea procurement amid holiday rush

ÇAYKUR General Manager Yusuf Ziya Alim told reporters that the fresh‑tea (yaş çay) purchasing campaign launched on 20 May is proceeding as planned despite a brief weather‑related delay. The agency has already bought more than 150 000 tons of fresh tea, a figure that includes a short pause when 19 000 tons of stock accumulated before operations resumed.

Alim stressed that ÇAYKUR will purchase all available tea without interruption, urging producers not to worry about any break in buying. He also noted that white‑tea collection remains limited – about 4.5 kg so far – but prices have risen to 8 000 lira per kilogram, up from 6 000 lira last year. For cold‑tea brand Didi, ÇAYKUR aims to increase sales to 170‑175 million litres this year, compared with 153 million litres in the previous year.

The agency highlighted its capacity to process tea quickly, avoiding stock buil‑ups that could cause delays, and reaffirmed its commitment to buy the entire harvest.