Bhubaneswar, May 21: Today is the International tea day. The World is marking the International Tea Day on May 21 in an effort to promote the production and consumption of tea and create awareness about its significance in fighting poverty and hunger.

May 21 was designated as International Tea Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019, after the Food and Agricultural Organization’s Intergovernmental Group emphasised on making more efforts to expand tea demand in tea-producing countries, where per capita consumption is relatively low.

The group had also called for measures to address falling per capita consumption in countries importing tea.

“The tea industry is a main source of income and export revenues for some of the poorest countries and, as a labour-intensive sector, provides jobs, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged areas,” the United Nations said. “Tea can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, being one of the most important cash crops.”

The UN also highlighted the health-related and cultural significance of tea after a revelation of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Since then, the world has accepted tea as a healthy beverage while the Indians use it as a symbol of courtesy, serving it as a welcome drink to the guests and invitees.