Importing Nilgiri tea into Saudi Arabia: a buyer’s guide

Published 24 October 2026 · BluVira Exports, Kotagiri

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest tea importers. According to ITC Trade Map, the Kingdom imported about US$310 million of tea in 2025, up from about US$244 million in 2020. India supplied just under one-tenth of that, so Indian tea, and Nilgiri tea in particular, is still a small part of a large and growing market.

Why Nilgiri tea suits the Saudi cup

Much of the tea drunk in Saudi Arabia is black tea, often sweetened and sometimes brewed with mint or cardamom; milk tea (karak) is popular too. For plain black tea, Nilgiri tea does well:

• Bright, brisk liquor: Nilgiri tea gives a clear, lively cup that is enjoyable without milk.
• A cup close to Ceylon tea: grown at high altitude in the hills of South India, Nilgiri orthodox tea has a character close to Ceylon tea, usually at a lower cost.
• Low astringency: it stays smooth when brewed strong or left on the pot, and keeps clear when it cools.
• Good for blending: packers use Nilgiri tea on its own or to bring brightness and value to blends with Ceylon, Kenyan or Assam tea.

Nilgiri tea comes as orthodox (rolled leaf, for loose tea) and CTC (granules, for tea bags and strong tea). See our guide to Nilgiri tea grades for what OP, BOP, PF and dust mean, and where the world’s tea grows for how Nilgiri compares with Ceylon, Kenyan and other teas.

Saudi import rules for tea

Food imports into Saudi Arabia are regulated by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). In outline:

• The importer needs a commercial registration that covers food trade and an establishment account on the SFDA’s Ghad platform.
• Product registration: each product is registered with the SFDA by the importer before it is imported, so allow time for this before the first shipment.
• Labelling: retail packs need Arabic labelling (English may be added), with production and expiry dates and the country of origin. Bulk tea for repacking is labelled by the packer.
• Consignment certification: the SFDA requires a pre-shipment certificate for many foods from India, such as spices, rice and fresh produce. At the time of writing, Indian tea is not on that mandatory list.
• Documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, a certificate of origin and, where the SFDA asks for it, a health certificate. On the Indian side, the exporter must hold a Tea Board of India exporter licence and obtain an export clearance for each tea consignment through the Tea Board’s Tea Council portal.
• Duty and VAT: tea has generally entered Saudi Arabia duty-free, and 15% VAT applies on import. Your clearing agent will confirm current rates.

Rules change, so confirm the details with your clearing agent or the SFDA before you order.

Shipping from South India to Saudi Arabia

Tea from the Nilgiris is shipped in containers from the ports of Tuticorin or Kochi:

• Jeddah Islamic Port for buyers in Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and the Western Region.
• King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam for the Eastern Province; it is linked by rail to the Riyadh dry port.
• Buyers in Riyadh and Qassim usually clear through either port and move goods inland.

Tea can travel in a full container, or share a container with rice or other goods to keep freight per kilogram down, packed so that it cannot pick up odours. Prices are usually quoted FOB Indian port or CIF Jeddah or Dammam.

How to place a first order

1. Tell your supplier what you make: loose tea, tea bags or a blend, the grades you buy now, and your monthly volume.
2. Taste samples from current lots against the tea you use today, and approve one as your reference.
3. Check registration: make sure the product can be registered with the SFDA under your company, and agree the label text if the tea is packed in India.
4. Agree terms in writing: grade, packing, Incoterms (FOB or CIF), payment and shipment date.
5. Start with a trial order, then move to regular shipments once the cup and the paperwork are proven.

BluVira Exports buys Nilgiri tea at the Coonoor auction and directly from factories and estates, and ships orthodox and CTC grades to the Gulf. See our Nilgiri tea range or download the tea specification sheet (PDF).