• 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
    Subscribe Free
    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.

    Latest Episode

    Powered by RedCircle

    •

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    •

    , , , ,

  • 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
    India Tea News Update
    Subscribe Free
    batic 2024
    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

    Latest Episode

    Powered by RedCircle

    •

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    •

    , , ,

  • 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
    Subscribe Free
    Boomitra
    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.

    Latest Episode

    Powered by RedCircle

    • Share this Post | India Update: Indian Tea Industry Keen on Regenerative Agriculture | West Bengal Chief Minister Visits the Dooars | Women’s Empowerment in Assam’s Tea Gardens | Episode 147 |

    •

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    •

    , , , , ,

  • India Update: Goodricke Carbon Negative | Plucking Ends for Winter | Another Dooars Garden Closes

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending Dec. 8
    India Tea News | Aravinda Anantharaman
    Subscribe Free
    Goodricke Tea is Carbon Negative
    Goodricke Tea is Carbon Negative

    Goodricke Group Can Now Boast Carbon Negative Status

    Goodricke Group Ltd. recently announced the results of a carbon emission study in its five Darjeeling gardens and has announced that they are carbon-negative. The independent study showed that 11,026 tonnes of CO2 were absorbed by the agroforestry in these gardens as opposed to 1,732 tonnes being emitted. The company, which produces 700,000 kilos of tea from Darjeeling each year, is hoping this will add greater market value and a price premium as a climate-conscious single-estate tea.

    Plucking Ends in North India for the Winter

    The Tea Board of India has announced the last date for plucking tea leaves for the year as December 11th for Darjeeling, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand and December 23rd for the Dooars, Terai, and Bihar. Processing dates are December 13th and December 26th, respectively. Plucking will continue uninterrupted in the south.

    One more Dooars Tea Garden Closes

    Rheabari in the Jalpaiguri district of the Dooars saw overnight closure by the management. The estate has about 1,750 workers. The Telegraph reported that the management had recently asked workers to move to 8-hour work days, 1 hour longer than the current work day. The workers who worked two shifts, 7 am to 11 am and 1 pm to 4 pm, did not accept this. The state labor office has taken cognizance of the situation and is working to reopen the garden.

    Latest Episode

    Powered by RedCircle

    •

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    •

    , , , , ,

  • India Update: Coca-Cola India Launches Honest Tea | Patanjali Ayurved Promotes Assam Tea | Two of 19 Shuttered Dooars Tea Gardens Reopen

    By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor

    India Tea News for the week ending Dec. 1
    India Update | Aravinda Anantharaman
    Subscribe Free
    Coca-Cola India re-launches Honest Tea
    Coca-Cola launches Honest Tea in India

    Coca-Cola India Launches Honest Iced Tea Brand

    Coca-Cola is set to launch a ready-to-drink tea range in India under its brand “Honest Tea.” The first two teas in this range are green tea blends – Lemon Tulsi and Mango. The tea itself will be sourced from the Makaibari tea estate in Darjeeling, which Luxmi Estates owns. The original Honest Tea was a bottled organic tea company founded in 1998 by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff. Coca-Cola paid $43 million for a minority share in 2008 and acquired the company in 2011. In May 2022, the company announced it would stop manufacturing the hot-brewed bottled tea, which generated more than $500 million in sales at 140,000 stores at its high point in 2018.

    Assam Tea to be Marketed by Patanjali Ayurved

    Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has sought assistance from Indian spiritual guru Baba Ramdev, who runs a popular FMCG brand, Patanjali Ayurved, to promote Assam tea. Patanjali was launched in 2006 and has built its brand around herbal and natural products. It has a current market share of 8-9% and a market capitalization of $5 billion. This week, Indian media reported that Patanjali would soon add Assam tea to its product portfolio, which is reportedly to help Assam tea access a global market and reduce the threat of Kenyan and Sri Lankan tea to Assam’s tea industry.

    Two Dooars Tea Gardens Reopen

    In October this year, 13 tea gardens closed in the Dooars following their inability to meet the bonus agreement of 19% with trade unions. This week, two gardens, Samsing and Banandanga-Tondu, were reopened after being shut for 49 days. The Telegraph reported that Samsing has 1,460 workers and Bamandanga-Tondu has 1,174 workers. The state government secured an investor for these two estates and moved to reopen them. The new owner, Rittick Bhattacharya, was quoted as saying workers would be given a bonus of 9% and that wage dues would be cleared soon. The state minister for tribal affairs and backward classes welfare has said that efforts will be made to reopen other closed gardens in the region.

    Latest Episode

    Powered by RedCircle

    •

    Aravinda Anantharaman

    •

    , , , , ,
Verified by MonsterInsights