JEDDAH,:The Ceylon Tea Pavilion was inaugurated by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Saudi Arabia Ameer Ajwad, together with the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Jeddah, Justice Mohamed Laffar and representatives of prominent Ceylon Tea exporting companies, at the Saudi Food Show 2026, held at Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 27 -29 September 2026
The pavilion brought together six leading Sri Lankan tea companies to showcase the quality, diversity and distinctive character of Ceylon Tea to the Saudi market.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Department of Commerce, organized the dedicated Ceylon Tea Pavilion with the aim of strengthening the presence of Ceylon Tea and other Sri Lankan food and beverage products in the Saudi market, while creating new opportunities for Sri Lankan exporters.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad highlighted the continued growth of bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. Sri Lankan exports to Saudi Arabia increased by 15 percent compared with 2024. Tea remained a major contributor, with tea packet and bulk tea exports amounting to approximately USD 67 million during the year.
The Ambassador emphasized the significant potential to further strengthen the presence of Ceylon Tea in the Saudi market while promoting a wider range of Sri Lankan food and beverage products. He encouraged Sri Lankan exporters to make effective use of the Saudi Food Show and other major exhibitions in the Kingdom to engage with Saudi buyers, importers, distributors and retailers, better understand market requirements, and establish long-term commercial partnerships.
The dedicated Ceylon Tea Pavilion featured Imperial Tea Exports (Pvt) Ltd, Meezan & Company, Ceylon Tea Marketing Group, Ceylon Tea Land (Pvt) Ltd, Heladiv Tea, and Martin Bauer Hayleys (Pvt) Ltd. In addition, Empire Teas (Pvt) Ltd, Eswaran Brothers Exports (Pvt) Ltd, Anverally & Sons (Pvt) Ltd, Uniworld Teas (Pvt) Ltd, and A.F. Jones Exporters Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd participated independently at the Saudi Food Show.
The establishment of the first dedicated Ceylon Tea Pavilion at the Saudi Food Show marks an important milestone in expanding and strengthening Sri Lanka’s commercial engagement with the Kingdom and creating new opportunities for Sri Lankan tea exporters in the Saudi market.
The Saudifood Show 2026 and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 exhibitions brought together more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 95 countries, highlighting the scale of opportunities emerging across Saudi Arabia’s food and beverage and food manufacturing sectors.
The First Secretary (Commerce) of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh, Ms. Tashma Vithanawasam, coordinated the arrangements for the participation of Sri Lanka Tea companies.
