Tea for Pakistan

Pakistan imports 120 million kg of tea, the majority coming from another continent, from far-away Kenya; while the share of Bangladeshi tea is less than 10 percent (news item, DS, May 30). High cost of transportation has been cited as one of the reasons for the setback in trade.

Biman is having a lean time. It could offer cheap-chartered cargo flights for tea from Bangladesh to Pakistan for a few months during the tea export season. The return flights should not be a problem, collecting items from neighbouring countries. Sea shipments are getting out of date in this global village (air freight, volume and frequency matters).

The Pakistan tea team was in Dhaka recently. It is a good gesture, offering cups of tea, to be followed by more cups at Pakistani homes for the rest of the year. Fly in the tea-cup? It is a much smaller nuisance!