Tea industry demands ban on Nepal tea imports from November 30

MP, 16 Oct 2024, Alipurduar: The tea industry in North Bengal is intensifying its demand to stop the entry of Nepalese tea into India after November 30. Small tea growers have threatened to stage an indefinite sit-in at Panitanki More, near the Nepal border, if their demands are not met. 

According to the Tea Board of India, tea plucking in over 300 gardens, including small tea estates in North Bengal, will cease from November 30 for three months to improve tea quality. However, growers allege that during this period, tea from Nepal enters the Indian market, threatening the domestic industry. 

They argue that allowing Nepalese tea, considered inferior to Darjeeling tea, could lead to significant financial losses for Indian tea growers. The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations (CISTA) is leading the protests. 

CISTA president Bijaygopal Chakraborty said: “We demand the entry of Nepalese tea be stopped after November 30. Unscrupulous traders are mixing it with Indian tea, but no action has been taken by the Tea Board for over 10 years. If this continues, we will begin a sit-in at the Panitanki border.” 

Former Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Chhetri has written to the Prime Minister and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista raised the issue with Union Commerce minister Piyush Goyal in August. 

However, the tea industry claims the government has yet to resolve the issue, with Nepalese tea often falsely labeled as Darjeeling tea, affecting 89 tea plantations in Darjeeling. 

Chinmay Dhar, North Bengal Chairman of the Tea Association of India, said: “The entry of Nepal tea has been hurting the North Bengal tea industry. If it continues past November 30, it will severely damage the local tea sector. We support the movement, foreign tea should not enter the market during this period.” 

Currently, 13 tea gardens in Darjeeling are closed, exacerbating concerns about Nepalese imports. 

Allegations also suggest that Nepalese tea lacks certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), with estimates indicating that 16 million kilograms of tea enter India annually, both legally and illegally. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/puja-carnival-mesmerises-viewers-with-dazzling-celebration-of-culture-tradition-artistic-grandeur-583305?infinitescroll=1