Two batches of tea worth 6.78 million yuan ($1 million) from Nanyang, Henan province were recently cleared by customs to be exported to South Korea for the first time, according to Nanyang entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau.

Earlier this June, Nanyang had successfully exported 11.7 tons of tea to the European Union, which has affirmed the tea's quality and wetted South Korea's appetite to sample Nanyang's high-quality tea.

As an upscale export market, South Korea has high standards of quality and strict access requirements for tea imports.

Nanyang entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau thus implemented stringent measures to help tea producers gain overseas market access, and has established an effective inspection system to analyze such indexes as pesticide levels and heavy metal limits in order to meet South Korea's standards.

In addition, the bureau imposed strict quality control of the raw materials and finished products before customs inspections, ensuring high quality products that meet international export standards.

Statistics show that Nanyang's total tea export volume has reached over 382 tons during the first half of 2016, signifying strong prospects for the future of the local tea industry.