Tea Board pushes for quality check of brew from Nepal

Amid fears that CTC selection from Nepal was being marketed as Darjeeling tea to people, Tea Board has asked the Commissioner of Customs, Kolkata (Land), to check out the excellent of brew arriving from that nation at FSSAI-accredited laboratories.

According to a Tea Board formal, brew from the neighbouring nation are unable to be banned as the treaty signed amongst the two nations has provisions for its import. Less than the treaty, India imports tea from Nepal at zero responsibility, the formal reported.

“As the plucking season in Darjeeling has arrived, we have asked the Customs section to check out if the excellent of tea from Nepal conforms to FSSAI parameters,” he informed PTI on Tuesday.

Arun Kumar Ray, Deputy Chairman of Tea Board, reported the company has sought support from a laboratory in Mumbai, which can differentiate amongst Darjeeling and Nepal teas.

“We have asked the Customs authorities to discard tea coming from Nepal if it does not comply with the FSSAI norms,” Ray reported.

Even though Darjeeling creates all around nine million kg of orthodox selection annually, almost an equivalent volume of the brew is imported from Nepal underneath the treaty.

Secretary-common of the Indian Tea Affiliation (ITA) Arijit Raha reported that the complete quantity of tea from Nepal should really be completely checked at the land customs factors. “Any endeavor to provide Nepalese CTC selection as Darjeeling should really be thwarted,” he reported.

Earlier, Ray experienced reported traceability of Darjeeling tea was a trigger for worry, and the ITA has expressed uncertainties above the excellent of tea being marketed in the market. He experienced also suggested that the complete quantity of Darjeeling tea produced be marketed via auction to learn the true selling price and prevent unhealthy tactics.

In 2019, all around eight million kg of Darjeeling tea was produced, of which 4 million kg was exported.