Global Tea Production: Current Status, Emerging Challenges, Technological Transformation, and Future Perspectives

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) is a globally important perennial beverage crop supporting agricultural economies, rural livelihoods, international trade and cultural systems. Global made-tea production reached approximately 7.074 million tonnes in 2024 and approximately 7.266 million tonnes in 2025. The sector is undergoing structural change as climate variability, water constraints, labour costs, soil degradation, market volatility and requirements for traceability and environmental performance increasingly interact with conventional production challenges. This review synthesizes recent evidence on global production, climate impacts, genetic resources, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, intelligent processing, sustainability, circular economy and value-added development. Recent evidence shows a transition from productivity-centred production toward integrated systems combining genotype, environment, management and digital technologies. Climate change affects tea through temperature stress, altered rainfall, drought and extreme events, with consequences for yield and biochemical quality. Advances in remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles, Internet of Things sensors, machine learning, computer vision, spectroscopy and robotics provide opportunities for real-time monitoring and precision management, although cost, data standardization, model transferability and smallholder access remain major constraints. Future tea production should integrate climate-resilient cultivars, precision resource management, intelligent processing, digital traceability and circular use of biomass. A Tea Production 2050 framework is proposed to connect genetic conservation, climate adaptation, smart production, artificial intelligence, processing, traceability and value creation. The review identifies priorities for research and technology deployment aimed at improving productivity, quality, resilience and sustainability across diverse tea-growing systems.