Rooibos Tea Contributes $69 Million to South Africa GDP, Business Day Says

Rooibos tea, also known as red bush tea, contributed 500 million rand ($69 million) to South Africa’s gross domestic product last year, Business Day reported, citing the South African Rooibos Council.

International exports have grown three-fold in a decade, with the industry sending 6,000 metric tons of the leaf to more than 30 countries last year, the Johannesburg-based newspaper said, citing the council’s marketing director, Donnee MacDougall. Top importers include Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Renee Bonorchis in Johannesburg at rbonorchis@bloomberg.net.

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