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BACKGROUND to STUDY
Tea is derived from the Camellia plant. Tea is, after
water, the most widely consumed beverage in the world.
The British drink 4.5 cups a day per head and, in this
respect, are second only to the Irish. Yet all tea is
grown abroad and has to be imported into this country.
Tea is the oldest major world soft commodity with a
production of 3,000,000 tonnes p.a.
The Camellia, a genus in the Theaceae family, is best
known in the UK as a popular garden shrub. It was originally
introduced as an exotic hothouse plant but is now proving
hardy throughout much of the UK and Europe.
It grows particularly well in Cornwall and I wanted
to see what further opportunities there were for development
beyond that of a plant in private gardens.
OBJECTIVES of the STUDY
The main objective was to suggest developments for Camellia-based
industries with UK growers in mind.
1) Is it possible, both technically and economically,
to grow tea in the UK?
2) Can
oil be produced in the UK?
3) Is
further development of the foliage market possible?
4) Can
the volume of camellia sales as garden plants be increased?
At the moment approximately 10 times the volume of camellia
plants, foliage and flowers are imported than exported
from the UK.
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