Boosting Exports of Hunan Tea to Russia

A Case of Hunan Province's Targeted Support for Enterprises Going Global Selected as National Model

In recent years, market regulation authorities at all levels across China have made steady progress in addressing technical barriers to trade, providing targeted support to help enterprises expand into international markets. The State Administration for Market Regulation recently selected and released 10 representative cases of this nature, among which the case of Hunan's market regulation authorities facilitating tea exports to Russia through consultations was included.

Hunan Province is a major producer and exporter of tea, but due to changes in Russia's inspection policies, tea exports are facing obstacles such as customs clearance delays and cargo returns. For example, Russia has shifted its import inspections from random sampling at supermarkets to frequent checks at border crossings, and some pesticide residue standards are stricter than international norms, resulting in multiple shipments of Hunan tea being held up at customs or even returned.

In light of this, the Administration for Market Regulation of Hunan Province promptly conducted a comparison of standards to identify discrepancies between Russian standards and international standards. The Hunan market regulation authority coordinated with the State Administration for Market Regulation to engage in consultations with the relevant Russian authorities under the framework of the World Trade Organization. The Hunan authority then guided enterprises in developing products with low pesticide residues and exploring pathways to organic certification. Through the concerted efforts of market regulation authorities, they successfully persuaded the Russian side to adjust its inspection policies, ensuring the smooth clearance of tea exports to Russia while further expanding overseas tea markets.

In 2024, Yunwu tea from Hengshan Mountain of Hunan Province was successfully exported to Russia, and subsequent shipments of tea from Hunan tea companies cleared customs smoothly, with no further instances of returns.

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn