India currently imports about 80% of Nepal's annual tea harvest.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed to protect the Darjeeling brand by policing the quality of Nepal imports.
Speaking at the inaugural tourism fair in Darjeeling on Nov. 13, Banerjee blamed unscrupulous traders and exporters for collaborating with Nepalese growers to tarnish the reputation of Darjeeling tea.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, she said, “We have decided to put a system in place. It will not leave any room for such unscrupulous practices.”
BK Saria, chairman of the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA), said growers in the GI-recognized gardens produce six to seven million kilos of tea annually. In comparison, more than 10 million kilos are sold as Darjeeling tea. The three to four million kilo difference is local tea blended with inferior Nepal orthodox processed tea, he said.
“Many planters in Darjeeling have been demanding quality control measures along the Indo-Nepal border to ensure that only good tea from Nepal reaches India and is sold strictly as Nepal tea,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Tea Board of India ignored requests by the West Bengal United Forum of Small Tea Growers’ Association to delay the seasonal shutdown of tea plucking and processing until mid-December. The announced Nov. 30 closing date appears firm.
Still undecided is a proposed ban on imports of Nepal tea during the hiatus that ends in February. Plantation owners believe the dormancy period will improve quality but fear Nepal will continue to export mainly low-grade CTC (crush, tear, curl) tea in quantity. India currently imports about 80% of Nepal’s annual harvest.
There is a shortage of tea for blending as Indian tea production will be down an estimated 100 to 125 million kilos compared to 2023. As a result, prices increased from January to September by an average of INRs 200 in 2023 to INRs 250 per kilo in North India. In response Nepal tea exports have surged to prices well above 2023.
In 2023, the Tea Board closed the Darjeeling, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand factories on Dec. 13. Estates in the Dooars and Terai of West Bengal and Bihar closed on Dec. 26. Plucking was halted on Dec. 11, and Dec. 23, respectively. The last date to pack and move finished teas into storage was Jan. 6 for CTC (crush, tear, curl) processed teas and Jan. 11 for orthodox and green tea varieties.
Plucking resumed Feb. 14 in Assam and seven northeastern states, as well as estates in the Terai and Dooars tea-growing regions in West Bengal. Darjeeling and Sikkim resumed plucking on Feb. 21.
No dates have been announced for the resumption of plucking in 2025.