India's 2016-17 tea exports drop 4.3 percent - Board

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's tea exports in fiscal 2016-17 fell 4.3 percent from a year ago to 222.93 million kg as Pakistan and Russia trimmed purchases, the state-run Tea Board said in a statement.

The south Asian country's export to Pakistan plunged 42.7 percent to 11.11 million kg in the year ended March 31, while Russia bought 44.17 million kg, down 8.4 percent from a year ago, it said.

India, the world's second-biggest tea producer, exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt, Pakistan and the UK, and the orthodox variety to Iraq, Iran and Russia.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Vyas Mohan)