Turkey -Tea Research and Application Centre

The purpose of the contract is to provide technical assistance for improvement of the institutional capacity, marketing capability, productivity and product quality of the tea-producing small and medium enterprises.

This aim will be accomplished by:

• Conducting competitiveness analysis, developing business plans and strategies;
• Optimising tea production processes, and
• Support to the services of the training and consultancy, marketing and foreign trade and R & D departments.

This operation has been designed to offer a sustainable solution to the tea industry's existing and emerging problems. The Tea Research and Application Centre (TRAC) to be established in Rize will conduct 'applied research' with a view to:

a) Establish voluntary production and product standards;

b) Optimise tea production processes, especially in small and medium-sized plants; 　

c) Test and develop product varieties;

d) Develop and disseminate 'sustainable tea production' techniques; and

e) test 'processing of alternative products'.

This is expected to increase both the productivity and product quality of small and medium-sized tea producers.In parallel, the operation is expected to improve the cooperation and coordination among the actors of theindustry by facilitating establishment of a tea promotion group.