Japan to Help Tea Education for Schoolkids

Tokyo, Feb. 17 (Jiji Press)--Japan's agriculture ministry will help tea growers and related parties to provide opportunities for elementary and junior high school students to learn about Japanese tea.

The ministry will draw up a list of tea growers, sellers and related organizations that can offer educational programs on the traditional beverage, along with program details such as content, location and cost, ministry officials said.

The list will be provided to schools as early as March, they said.

The ministry hopes that such programs will help students feel more familiar with Japanese tea, contributing to growth in tea consumption in the medium to long run.

Surveys show that consumption of green tea beverages, including bottled products, has been growing steadily while that of tea leaves, is on the decline, especially among younger generations.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]