darjeeling: Darjeeling tea planters seek 100% import duty on Nepal tea

Darjeeling tea planters have requested the Central authorities to impose 100% import obligation on Nepal tea as practically 10.5 million kg of Nepal tea has entered India until October with none Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India (FSSAI) verify, harming the gross sales of the Darjeeling tea business, which goes by a tough patch.

In 2021, Nepal had exported 11.47 million kg of teas to India. Darjeeling tea planters say that it’s troublesome for the shoppers to distinguish between Darjeeling and Nepal tea and since a lot of the Nepal teas are produced by small tea growers there may be hardly any verify on utilization of pesticides, a few of which can have carcinogenic properties.

“It’s an alarming scenario for the Darjeeling tea business. Costs of Darjeeling tea are falling as low-cost teas from Nepal are coming into India and are discovering shelf house on the retail finish,” mentioned B.Okay. Saria, chairman, Darjeeling Tea Affiliation.

This 12 months Darjeeling tea manufacturing could possibly be round 6.6-6.7 million kg.
Nepal teas are cheaper than Darjeeling by 50% -60% relying upon the grade. “Practically 80% of Nepal teas are being produced by small growers and the remainder 20% by organised gamers. The small growers don’t conform to the pesticide norms,” Saria mentioned.

Nepal produces greater than 25,000 tonnes of tea yearly, in line with the Nationwide Tea and Espresso Growth Board. Of the overall manufacturing, crush, tear and curl (CTC) tea makes up 19,000 tonnes. Tea is among the main exportable money crops for Nepal. The nation earns greater than ₹5 billion yearly from tea manufacturing.

Saria mentioned “Labour value constitutes 70% of the overall value in Darjeeling in comparison with Nepal tes. Nepal doesn’t have any statutory labour advantages like PF, gratuity, bonus, housing, medical help, which assist their produce to be low-cost.”

Tea exports from Nepal to India are ruled by the Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) permitting such teas to enter India with none import obligation.

“We’ve got written to the Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal that tea imported from Nepal doesn’t conform to the prescribed FSSAI high quality norms and compliances. Whereas on one hand Nepal teas don’t conform to the norms and on the opposite, due to its low-cost value of manufacturing, these teas are miserable Darjeeling tea costs, the DTA chairman mentioned.