June 28, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 27,1424

NEW DELHI, June 27: A 14-member delegation of the Indian Tea Industry would leave tomorrow (June 28) on a five-day business trip to Pakistan via Dubai.

“We are going for hard-selling. We will carry samples and hope to rope in substantial orders from Pakistan. We want to increase tea sales to Pakistan from about 3.5 to 4 million kg at present to 15-20 million kg over a period,” Indian Tea Association’s (ITA) Export Committee Chairman, Gautam Bhalla of Warren Tea said.

It was a truly producer-led delegation with no representation from any government agency or merchant exporters, Bhalla said adding, that is why it was being organized by ITA, the apex body of tea producers in the country.

Gautam Bhalla said the ITA Chairman Bharat Bajoria and he would lead the delegation that would be in Pakistan from June 29 to July 03, according to a news report received from Kolkata.

The other members of the delegation are from the Goodricke Group, Tata Tea, George Williamson, Eveready, Dibrugarh Tea, Hanuman Tea, Choibari Tea, Bajrang Tea and Doorma Chand Tea.—APP