‘No action taken to check low-quality item being sold as Darjeeling Tea’

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 8 Feb 2023 : While the Darjeeling tea industry has been trying to rein in imports of tea from Nepal complaining that inferior quality tea is being sold as ‘Darjeeling tea’ in the domestic market, figures show that Nepal is the largest exporter of tea to India. 

Though the Centre claims that there is a system of in place to keep a check on the same through the Tea Board of India, the Darjeeling tea industry has alleged that there is hardly any implementation on ground zero. 

Raju Bista, the Darjeeling MP raised the issue on the ongoing session of the Parliament. “I had asked about the issues relating to import of tea into India, and the action taken by the government to put a stop to the practice of low quality imported tea being sold labelled as Darjeeling tea,” he added.
Anupriya Patel, Ministry of State of Commerce and Industry responded by stating that the total imports of tea of other origins into India during the year 2021-22 was 25.97 million kg. Total production of tea in India during the financial year 2021-22 was 1344.40 million kg and the imports during the period were about 1.93 per cent of the total domestic production. 

It is interesting to note that Nepal is the top exporter of tea into India and supplied 11.12 million kg in 2021-22, followed by 7.08 million kg from Kenya, and 1.05kg from Argentina. She further stated that “Darjeeling Tea is protected by Certification Trade Mark and Geographical Indication and has a distinct logo. 

With regard to teas imported into India, checks have been imposed including Tea Board issued instructions on 11.11.2021 directing all importers and buyers of tea to ensure that origin of imported tea to be mentioned in all their sale invoices and not to pass off imported tea as tea of Indian origin. 

All distributors and blenders of tea have been directed that the label should clearly indicate on the packaging that the contents of the blended Tea are imported, giving the source of origin of imported tea irrespective of whether the imported tea has been bought directly or through an intermediary. 

All importers importing tea into India for distribution in India shall inform about the place of storage of such imported tea to the nearest Tea Board Office within 24 hours of entry of such tea into India. 

“Time and again the Tea Board of India issues such notifications but there is no implementation or stringent checks. The Darjeeling Tea Industry on its own does not have the required logistics to enforce such checks. Under these conditions the Darjeeling tea industry continues to suffer,” stated Sandeep Mukherjee, Principal Advisor, Darjeeling Tea Association. Earlier the DTA had urged Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industries, Government of India, to impose import duty on Nepal tea to “save the Darjeeling tea industry.” 

In the letter to Goyal, DTA had written “Darjeeling Tea industry which produces 6.7 million kg of orthodox tea is reeling under the pressure from Nepal tea being allowed to be imported into India without any duty or regulation and is being sold as fake Darjeeling tea in the domestic market as also being re-exported out of India.” 

“The annual production of Darjeeling tea has dropped from over 11 million kg, two decades back to the present 6 million kg , the industry is unable to support its 55000 permanent workforce,” added Mukherjee. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/no-action-taken-to-check-low-quality-item-being-sold-as-darjeeling-tea-508054