February 26, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 27, 1427

KARACHI, Feb 25: Sri Lankan Consul General Ms Manel De Silva has said that his country is planning to open an office in Karachi to market its tea in Pakistan. In a meeting with Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed held here on Saturday, she said that Sri Lankan tea, although costlier than Kenyan or Bangladeshi tea, was of high quality and good flavoured.

A delegation from Sri Lanka will be visiting Pakistan shortly to look into the possibility of establishing its office in Karachi, the consul general added. The FPCCI president said that Pakistan, being world’s second largest consumer of tea, was already importing tea from Sri Lanka. In 2004-05, it imported tea worth about $6.58 million from Sri Lanka, says a press release.