The Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB), after a year-long competitive evaluation process, has selected Bahrain-based MTI Consulting to develop their marketing strategy for Ceylon tea.

Sri Lanka Tea is the country's second largest export earner next and contributes around three per cent of the gross domestic product.

It accounts for 19 per cent of the global tea export market.

'Tea is Sri Lanka's key export and critical to our national economy,' said SLTB chairman Lalith Hettiarachchi.

'In a highly competitive and branded global market, the marketing and branding function are key.

'We need to scan the global markets, assess the challenges and formulate our strategies, which is the very purpose of this project,' he added.

'Our process starts with an intensive global scan that will cover consumers, the demand chain, channels, supply chain, brand owners and tea producers, including relevant cross-industry learning,' said MTI Bahrain chief executive officer Hilmy Cader.

'Based on the scan, the strategy formulation process will begin, with active involvement by the industry and we will evaluate all the strategic routes available to SLTB and Ceylon Tea.

'Sustainability as a strategy driver will be an integral part of this exercise.'

MTI Consulting is a boutique management consultancy with operations in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Dubai, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and alliances internationally.

Since MTI's inception in 1997, MTI has worked on 350 client-specific projects in 35 countries across five continents.-TradeArabia News Service