The Global Dubai Tea Forum 2008 will be held at the Hyatt Regency, Dubai.

This biennial two-day forum, following the success of a similar event in 2006, is expected to attract a broad range of representatives from across the value chain of the global tea industry, said an official spokesman.

The event, to be held on February 19 and 20, 2008, is being hosted by The Dubai Tea Trading Centre (DTTC), an initiative of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC).

The focus of the Global Dubai Tea Forum will be on sharing industry-specific knowledge and best practices for improving tea production and marketing worldwide.

Among the experts and professionals expected to make presentations at the event are representatives from India, Iran, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as well as from Dubai and the DTTC.

The forum will also include exhibition space where tea industry firms will showcase their newest products and services.

'Dubai's strategic geographical location between the world's major tea-producing and tea-consuming countries means that large volumes of tea regularly pass through its ports, effectively making the emirate the industry's global gateway for tea. Dubai is therefore ideally positioned to host this global forum, which will provide unprecedented opportunities for discussion, debate and networking,' said CEO, DMCC, Dr David Rutledge.

The DTTC has made a significant contribution to the establishment of Dubai as an international hub for tea trading. In 2006, DTTC facilitated the transaction of 4.3 million kilos of multi-origin teas, almost doubling the trade figures for the previous 10 months.

DTTC has also been instrumental in increasing the volume of tea trade physically cleared into Dubai, which rose from 96.6 million kilos in 2005 to 105.5 million kilos in 2006.

Since its inception in early 2005, the DTTC has expanded its range and reach to process teas from 13-producing countries, including Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Nepal, China and Iran.

In keeping with its mandate to further increase the tea trade in and through Dubai, the DTTC also presently facilitates sales to buyers in the GCC states, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and CIS countries, and has plans to expand its services to other markets.Trade Arabia News Service