New figures have shown that the amount of tea being exported from Turkey has increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to data from the Anadolu Agency and Eastern Black Sea Exporters Association (DKİB), 2,325 tons of the product were exported to 102 nations between January and June 2020, up 43 per cent on the same period last year.

Belgium, Germany and Turkish Cyprus were the biggest customers, with exports to Belgium alone almost doubling.

DKiB vice president Saban Turgut said consumers in the European market have been favoring Turkish tea over that from other countries recently.

He also attributed the significant growth to people spending more time at home during lockdown and therefore consuming more tea in general.

According to the International Tea Committee, Turks consume an average of three to five cups of tea a day, a figure that increases to ten during the winter.

The country produces between six and ten per cent of the global tea crop, the vast majority of which is grown along the Black Sea coastline in northern Turkey.