Storm in a teacup: Pakistan minister criticised over 'drink less tea' plea

Country's planning minister appealed to people to reduce tea-drinking to cut back on borrowing for the leaves

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  Men drink a cup of tea at a roadside restaurant in Islamabad on June 15, 2022. - A Pakistani minister has caused a storm in a teacup by urging citizens to cut back on drinking "chai" as a way to preserve foreign currency that pays to import the leaves used in brewing the popular beverage. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP)

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  A Pakistani boy works at a tea shop in Peshawar. AP Photo

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  A vendor displays the prices of imported teas at his shop in Karachi. AP Photo

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  An employee pours tea for customers at a restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

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  A waiter serves cups of tea to customers at a restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

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  An employee pours tea for customers at a restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

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  A waiter holds a tray with cups of tea for customers at a restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

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  Men drink tea at a restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

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  Waiters prepare to serve tea to customers at a restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

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  Men drink tea at a roadside restaurant in Islamabad. AFP

A minister in Pakistan’s newly elected government has faced criticism after urging the nation to drink less tea to help save on the country's import bill, amid a deepening economic crisis.

Pakistanis are believed to drink at least three cups of tea a day on average. The country is among the world’s top tea importers, with the drink hugely popular among both the rich and poor in this country of 220 million people.

The government spends about $600 million from the central bank’s hard currency reserves on tea imports annually.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who took over in April after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, has pledged to improve the ailing economy and meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund in an effort to revive a $6 billion bailout package.

Still, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s appeal to drink less tea surprised many.

“I appeal to the people to reduce their tea drinking by one or two cups a day because we also borrow money for the tea, which is imported,” Mr Iqbal said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Some on social media openly advised Mr Iqbal to resign.

“Yesterday Ahsan Iqbal asked us to consume less tea and tomorrow they may say eat less. Is it a solution?” said Dil Sher, who owns a roadside tea stall on the outskirts of Islamabad.

An employee pours tea for customers at a restaurant in Islamabad. Pakistan's government spends about $600 million annually from central bank reserves on tea imports. AFP

The government has so far increased the prices of fuel, natural gas and electricity by up to 45 per cent, sending food prices soaring. Last week, Mr Sharif’s Cabinet presented its first budget to parliament for approval, levying more taxes on the rich and vowing to remove subsidies on energy and fuel as demanded by the IMF.

Mr Sharif’s government at midnight announced the third hike of 24 Pakistani rupees ($0.12) in the price of petrol, in as many weeks, taking it to about 234 rupees ($1.12) per litre. Petrol was available at about 150 rupees per litre in Pakistan when Khan was ousted in April.

Mr Khan is accusing Mr Sharif of taking over power through a US plot, a charge Washington denies. Mr Sharif and the country’s military have also dismissed Mr Khan’s claims, saying there was no evidence of a US conspiracy leading to the former cricketer's ousting.