Import of black tea up 24% year-on-year in January-September period

Kolkata: Import of cheap black tea increased 24% year-on-year in the first nine months of this year to 16.03 million kg, according to the Tea Board of India data, although India is the largest producer of black tea in the world. The industry is worried about the end-use of this imported cheap tea since there is no clarity on whether this tea has been imported for re-exports.

"The industry feels the surge in import has happened mainly due to higher volumes of tea from Nepal entering India. However, we need to have clarity on the end-use of these teas,” Indian Tea Association chairman Vivek Goenka told ET.

India produced 1,032 million kg of teas in the January-October period this year.


Nepalese tea is replacing the premium Darjeeling tea in the Indian market. The flow of Nepalese tea has increased this year since the lockdown in the early months of the pandemic had impacted the production of Darjeeling tea. The 87 tea estates in Darjeeling annually produce 8-8.5 million kg tea which is sold at high prices in the overseas markets. Teas produced in these estates have geographical indication tags.

The Darjeeling Tea Association has been urging the central government and the Tea Board to look into the issue of import of tea, particularly from Nepal. It has also pointed out that large quantities of tea are being imported into India without checking whether the product passes all parameters of food safety as stipulated by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Sanjay Chowdhury, director of Ringtong Tea Company, said the FSSAI does not have the wherewithal to conduct safety checks on the quality of teas that are entering from Nepal. “At present, customs authorities conduct a quality check on teas coming from Nepal. However, we have doubts over the process of checking that is conducted by the customs authorities,” he said.

Chowdhury alleged that there is slippage in the checking process and that cheap quality teas with toxic materials are entering India from Nepal. “Consumers are unknowingly drinking this brew,” he said.

Nepal produces two types of teas, one which is produced for Japan, Germany and other European countries and which complies with the European Union’s food safety norms, said Chowdhury. “There are certain factories in Nepal which manufacture teas that are meant for Indian markets. These teas may have toxic materials which may not be suitable for human health,” he said.