The Tea Board of India has issued new guidelines to maintain tea quality so that the nation can remain internationally competitive and also sustain the domestic consumption.
The board in a notice said that tea has a vital place not only because of its contribution to the country’s economy but also because it provides income to a large number of people. So, adherence to quality standards is of utmost importance in India as well as the world. Earlier also the Tea Board had urged the tea growers to desist from plucking before 1st flush to maintain the quality. According to an industry observer, though these guidelines were already there in the Tea Act of 1953 but they were barely enforced by the Tea Board.
As the apex body for the tea industry, the Tea Board has taken several measures to maintain the quality of tea in India by issuing orders from time to time to the tea producers, packagers, buyers & others to make sure that best quality teas are manufactured in the first flush period, it said.
As part of its overall inspection to check if the growers were adhering to the guidelines or not, the Board will draw random samples from the tea factories & from stocks of packet & bulk tea stored in the warehouses. The new guidelines say the charge of such sampling and examination will have to be borne by the proprietor company.
Teas that which fail to stick to the standards would be treated as tea waste and crushed. Strict action would also be taken against the licensee or manufacturers as per the provisions of the Tea Act including suspension or annulment of license.
