Kazakhstan Tea and Uzbekistan Imports: Buying from Vietnam

In short: Kazakhstan imports about 29,000 tons of tea yearly, mainly from Kenya; Uzbekistan about 33,000 tons, about 80% from China. Bulk tea enters Kazakhstan duty-free (EAEU tariff). Goo Farm suggests CTC BP and PF for Kazakhstan, green OP, Pekoe or BOM for Uzbekistan.

Two neighbours, two different suppliers. Kazakhstan buys its tea mainly from Kenya, and in 2025 it took almost three times as much Kenyan tea as the year before. Uzbekistan buys mainly from China, which supplied about 80% of its imports in the first half of 2025. Kazakhstan tea imports run at about 29,000 tons a year and Uzbekistan's at about 33,000, and Vietnam supplies both, though only a small share. This guide compares the two markets for tea importers and packers, and covers what changes when the tea comes from Vietnam: grades, duties, standards, colour additives and routes.

Checked in October 2026 against national statistics, the EAEU tariff and the Vietnam–EAEU FTA, PwC tax summaries and the WTO. Confirm duties and certification with your broker before you contract.

Two markets side by side

The two numbers that stand out: Kenya's exports to Kazakhstan jumped by 187% in 2025, to 24.4 million kg, and Uzbekistan pays far less per ton: about US$1,500 on average in 2024, against about US$2,800 in Kazakhstan (our calculation from the figures above). Vietnam supplied 430 tons to Uzbekistan in 2021, the last year with a published breakdown, and is named among Kazakhstan's leading suppliers without a figure.

Kazakhstan: black tea, EAEU rules

What to sample

Kazakhstan's black tea comes mainly from Kenya, which points to CTC granules and broken grades for a strong cup. A Vietnamese supplier competes on price for part of the blend. We suggest these to start:

• CTC BP and PF, from about US$0.70–0.71 per kg FOB Hai Phong, 24–25 tons per 40HC.
• Orthodox BOP and Pekoe for leaf tea, about US$1.19–1.77 per kg.
• F1 fannings and Dust 1 for tea bags, about US$0.55–0.82 per kg.

Indicative prices in October 2026; the live list is on our Vietnam tea prices page.

Duties and tax

Kazakhstan applies the EAEU common tariff:

• Bulk tea in packs over 3 kg: 0% duty, from any origin.
• Packed tea up to 3 kg: 12% for green and 12.5% for black, with a minimum per kilogram.
• VAT: 16%.

The Vietnam–EAEU free trade agreement, which covers Kazakhstan, does not lower the duty on tea: bulk tea is duty-free anyway, and packed tea is excluded from Vietnam's concessions.

Colour additives: the 2026 ban

Early in 2026 Kazakhstan's sanitary control committee banned the import and sale of black tea from several producers after laboratory tests found the synthetic dyes E110, E102 and E124. For importers this turned "no added colour" from a slogan into a condition of sale. Ask for a test of each lot that covers synthetic colours along with pesticide residues and heavy metals.

Uzbekistan: Chinese tea, its own rules

What to sample

Uzbekistan's imports are dominated by Chinese tea. If you sell green tea, remember that Vietnamese green tea is made in a different style from Chinese green tea, so the first step is a side-by-side cupping against the tea you sell today:

Our guide to Vietnamese green tea grades explains how each one brews.

Duties, tax and certification

Uzbekistan is not a member of the EAEU, so the Union's tariff and the Vietnam–EAEU agreement do not apply, and it is still negotiating its entry into the WTO. VAT on imports is 12%. Uzbek customs duties range widely by product, and we could not confirm the current rate for tea, the conformity certificate procedure or the labelling language rules from an official source, so ask your customs broker for all three before you order.

Routes from Vietnam to Central Asia

There is no single standard route. The options buyers discuss with forwarders include:

• Rail through China. Since July 2025 a regular rail service has run from Vietnam through China to Russia, and rail links from China reach Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
• Sea to a port on the way, then rail or road. Kenyan tea for Central Asia has been shipped through ports in Iran or Pakistan and then overland; in 2026, the Gulf crisis and the closure of the Pakistan–Afghanistan border have made those southern routes far less reliable.

Ask your forwarder for a current door-to-door quotation before you agree the Incoterms rule. We quote FOB Hai Phong as standard, which leaves you free to choose the route.

How to start

1. Send us the tea you sell today, or its grade, origin and price.
2. We send two or three matching Vietnamese samples, with an indicative FOB price.
3. Cup them your way: strong with milk for Kazakh black tea, long and light for Uzbek green tea.
4. Agree the specification and a lot test, including synthetic colours, pesticide residues and heavy metals.
5. Book a trial lot, then a full container.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Kazakhstan import tea from? Mainly from Kenya, which supplies about 40% of imports, followed by India and China. Vietnam and Sri Lanka are also among the leading suppliers.

Where does Uzbekistan import tea from? Mainly from China, about 80% of the volume in the first half of 2025, followed by Kenya, Iran, Kazakhstan and India.

Is there import duty on tea in Kazakhstan? Not on bulk tea in packs over 3 kg, which is duty-free under the EAEU tariff. Packed tea pays 12–12.5% with a minimum per kilogram, and VAT is 16%.

Does Vietnamese tea get lower duty in Kazakhstan under the FTA? No. Bulk tea is duty-free from every origin, and packed tea is excluded from the agreement's concessions for Vietnam.

Why did Kazakhstan ban some black tea in 2026? Tests found synthetic dyes (E110, E102 and E124) in tea from several producers, and the sanitary authority stopped their import and sale.

Request samples for Central Asia

Goo Farm Tea Vietnam makes green tea and orthodox and CTC black tea at factories in Phu Tho and Yen Bai; the Yen Bai factory is ISO 22000:2018 certified. Tell us your market, the tea you sell today and your delivery point, and we will send matched samples with an indicative quotation. Contact us.

Sources

• Kapital.kz, coffee and tea prices and imports in Kazakhstan, 5 March 2025, citing national statistics.
• BES.media, where Kazakhstan imports tea from, after dangerous dyes were found, 15 April 2026; Bizmedia.kz, Kenya leads Kazakhstan's tea imports, 14 April 2026.
• Business Today Kenya, tea industry earnings in 2025, 6 April 2026, citing the Tea Board of Kenya.
• National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, tea imports, January–June 2025, 5 August 2025, and tea imports in 2021, 15 February 2022.
• Kun.uz, where the world's tea is produced, 8 January 2026.
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Kazakhstan: other taxes and Uzbekistan: other taxes, 2026.
• Eurasian Economic Commission, Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and Vietnam; IFCG, EAEU tariff entry for bulk black tea.
• World Trade Organization, Accession of Uzbekistan, accessed October 2026.
• Interfax, FESCO and Ratraco launch Vietnam Shuttle, 28 July 2025.