• India Tea News: Guwahati Hosts BATIC 2024 to Celebrate 200 Years of Assam Tea | Artisanal Assamese Tea Farmer Maddhurjya Gogoi Passes Away

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending 2nd Feb 2024
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman
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    BATIC 2024 | Assam Bi-Centenary Celebration

    Assam Celebrates 200 Years of Tea

    Ahead of the Intergovernmental Group on Tea’s meeting in Guwahati, Assam, the Tea Research Association hosted a 2-day Bicentenary Assam Tea International Conference as part of the bicentennial celebrations of the Assam tea industry. It took place on the 29th and 30th at the Radisson Blu, Guwahati, and saw close to 400 people from the industry, including guests from the global tea industry representing 25 countries, in attendance. While it was an event that brought people from the tea trade under one roof, there was also a series of discussions on current preoccupations in tea, including regenerative agriculture, marketing Indian tea, the small tea grower segment, and new technologies and innovations in tea. Keynote speakers were James Grayland of Wanlin Teahouse, Shanghai, and Nitin Saluja of Chaayos.

    In Memoriam: Maddhurjya Gogoi, tea farmer

    Tea Farmer Maddhurjya Gogoi,46, passed away suddenly on 31st January 2024 after suffering a cerebral stroke. Maddhurjya was a pioneer in the artisanal tea sector in Assam, running Assam Teehaus, a direct-to-market brand of craft tea. His teas have earned rave reviews across the world. Maddhurjya’s contribution to Assam tea is significant, as is his relentless pursuit of organic specialty tea making. Maddhurjya is survived by his mother and two young children.

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  • India Tea News: Commerce Minister Meets Tea Industry Stakeholders | Darjeeling Tea Harvest Down by 9% to 6.5 Million Kilos

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending Jan. 12, 2024
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman
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    Tea fields at Gopaldhara TE, Darjeeling, India
    Tea fields at Gopaldhara Tea Estate, Darjeeling, India

    Commerce Minister Meets Tea Industry Stakeholders

    Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met tea industry representatives from Assam and West Bengal on Jan. 6, 2024. The industry sought financial support to tide over the crisis, particularly in wages to be paid during the winter months when gardens don’t see any production. The representation also sought a subsidy for orthodox tea production and greater testing of imported teas for food safety. They have asked for trade delegations to be sent to Iran and other countries to retain old markets and gain a foothold in potential ones. Key to the conversation was the need to resuscitate Darjeeling, which has seen low production, low prices, and an increasing number of gardens being sold due to this financial inviability.

    Darjeeling Tea Volumes Down by 9%

    In 2023, Darjeeling produced under 6.5 million kilos of tea, down 9% from 2022 and perhaps the lowest “normal year output” in the last 50 years! The reason is multifold – some ten gardens here closed last year, and climate change has also impacted the tea harvest. Despite low volumes, prices have not gone up. Average prices at auctions were INRs 315 per kilo, which is not representative of true prices as only about 1.5mn kilos were sold via auctions, with the bulk of tea sold privately. But it’s indicative of the crux of Darjeeling’s problem.

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  • India Tea News: Food Safety Standards Impact Tea | Dedicated Tea Hub Planned in Kolkata | Assam Considering Industrial Use of Tea Plantations

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending Jan. 5, 2024
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    Port of Kolkata, Hugoi River anchorage
    Port of Kolkata, Hugoi River anchorage

    Dedicated Tea Hub Planned in Kolkata

    The Telegraph reported that the Bengal government plans a dedicated tea hub in Kolkata, similar to the DMCC Tea Centre in Dubai. The hub is planned to promote the value addition of tea for both the domestic and export markets. The land is being leased from the port authorities and will likely have warehouses and state-run units for blending and packaging. A lab for testing is also being planned to support compliance requirements for exported teas. At the moment, land to set up this facility has been identified by the government.

    Food Safety Standards Impact Tea

    Based on the recommendations of the Food Safety Standards of India, the Tea Board recently announced a ban on 20 pesticides used in tea cultivation. The ban was because it was unclear whether these pesticides suited tea. In October 2023, the FSSAI and the Tea Board held a meeting with stakeholders from the industry, focussing on the need for safety in tea. Discussions centered on the residue levels, adulteration in flavored teas, and the need to ensure greater compliance with safety standards. As the next steps, awareness campaigns are being planned to help farmers meet pesticide use and tea safety regulations.

    Assam Considers Reclassifying Plantations for Industrial Use

    Media reports say that the Assam government plans to reclassify tea garden land to include industrial activities. Currently, tea estates are taken on long-term leases from the state government and restricted in how and what they can be used for. If the land is reclassified, it is expected to encourage economic development. Discussions are ongoing, and what will emerge as the final decision and its impact on the Assam tea industry is to be seen.

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  • India Tea News: Assam to Open 2024 with Tea Bicentenary celebrations | GTAC Auction Centre Closes the Year on a High | The Reason Tea is Commemorated on December 15

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending Dec. 22
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    Bicentenary Assam Tea International Conference 2024

    Assam to Host the Bicentenary Event for Tea

    Assam, which celebrates 200 years of tea, announced the Bi-centenary Assam Tea International Conference 2024. This two-day event will take place on Jan 29th and 30th at Guwahati, Assam, and is being organized by the Government of Assam, along with the Tea Board of India, Tocklai Tea Research Association, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, just ahead of the Intergovernmental Group on Tea meeting, also at Guwahati. Registrations are open and priced at Rs 7,500 for Indian delegates and USD 110 for overseas visitors.

    The event includes conferences and discussions on technology, climate change, new opportunities, etc. More details are available at the event website.

    GTAC Closes the Year on a High

    As we close 2023, GTAC, or the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, has established its position as the second largest auction center in the world, after Kenya. For the year April 2023-Mar 2024, the center has sold 115 mn kilos of tea so far, at an average price of Rs 198.51, marginally lower than last year. The total value is said to be about USD 200mn.

    International Tea Day

    For many years, marketers promoted tea in December for commercial purposes. International Tea Day has been celebrated on December 15 since 2005, when delegates to the International Tea Conference in New Delhi signed a declaration of rights of workers and small growers to help regulate uneven competition, land ownership, safety regulations, rights of women, social security, and living wages. 

    The date was first proposed in 2004 at the World Social Forum to draw the attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers.

    The main architects were Centre for Education and Communication (CEC), India (Shatadru Chattopadhyay); Hind Mazdoor Sabha, India (Samir Roy); Indian National Trade Union Congress, India (Paramasivam); Institute of Social Development, Sri Lanka (P. Muthulingam); New Trade Union Initiative, India (M. Subbu); Red Flag Union, Sri Lanka (O. A. Ramaiha) and United Trade Union Congress, India (Ashok Ghosh) at the World Social Forum.

    International Tea Day was celebrated in tea-producing countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, and Tanzania.

    In 2019, the 74th UN General Assembly designated May 21 as International Tea Day and elevated the celebration to promote and foster collective actions favoring sustainable production and consumption.| UN International Tea Day

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  • India Update: Indian Tea Industry Keen on Regenerative Agriculture | West Bengal Chief Minister Visits the Dooars | Women’s Empowerment in Assam’s Tea Gardens

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending Dec. 15
    India News | Aravinda Anantharaman
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    Boomitra Soil Carbon Marketplace

    Indian Tea Industry Keen on Regenerative Agriculture

    The Indian tea sector seems to be looking keenly at adopting regenerative agriculture practices and achieving net zero carbon emissions. This week, the Tea Research Association (TRA) announced a partnership with Boomitra, a soil carbon marketplace. This partnership is set to bring Boomitra’s expertise in regenerative agri practices to TRA members and enable them to generate additional income from the sale of carbon credits. Recently, trustea, the domestic sustainability code for Indian tea, also announced the addition of regenerative agriculture as part of its revised code published this year, offering its members a regenerative agriculture roadmap to adopt and follow.

    West Bengal Chief Minister visits the Dooars

    The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, visited the Dooars this week following the state government’s decision to award land rights to workers living and working in tea gardens, besides building homes for them in this tea belt. The chief minister said that she had handed the papers or pattas to 6,000 tea workers in the Alipurdar district. What should follow next is the process of identifying land in the tea gardens that can be allotted to them. Rs 120,000/- per person is being sanctioned towards house construction. The tea population is a significant vote bank, and this move is considered to be a game changer for the current government.

    Women’s Empowerment in Assam’s Tea Gardens

    The Women’s Safety Accelerator Fund (WSAF) and the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission signed an MoU on December 1st to empower women in tea gardens and positively change their lives. This partnership will leverage the opportunities the State Livelihood Mission provides and focus on key areas such as bridging the living income gap, equipping women and girls with crucial skills and innovative technologies, and capacity-building programs. The press report included an added emphasis on developing alternative livelihood options to enhance the socio-economic prospects of these communities.

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