Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, while addressing the Indian Tea Association’s (ITA) International Small Tea Growers’ Convention, indicated that the small tea growers will have the biggest role to play in shaping the future of the tea sector in India.
The minister respected the ITA for having played an instrumental role in the development of the tea industry since its inception in 1881, 141 years ago. He also applauded the ITA and Solidaridad Asia for their efforts to strengthen the small tea growers, ensure a safe source of supply to the factories, and boost exports.
Tea is an integral part of Indian heritage, and chai is not just tea made in Indian style; it is essentially India in a teacup. “Chai is not just a beverage for Indians; it is an emotion and a symbol of unity and friendship, and serving tea has become a mark of respect and a crucial part of the Atithi Devo Bhava culture of India,” stated Goyal.
The Indian tea industry is the world’s second-largest. The spoke of Darjeeling tea, also known as the “champagne of teas,” which is known worldwide because of its flowery scent, and Assam tea, a symbol of India’s global recognition. The minister stressed that the tea sector had played a pivotal role in employment generation in the country.
“Not just the growers, producers, and exporters, but also various startups and business models have emerged solely based on tea,” he said.
Goyal said that the government, as an enabler, has taken various steps to support our small tea growers, such as the implementation of an online licencing system and the auto-renewal of three types of licenses, i.e., the exporter license, the tea waste license, and the tea warehouse license, etc.
Darjeeling Tea was the first GI-tagged product, and it now has two other variants: green and white. The development of the Chai Sahyog mobile app is another landmark in the Indian tea ecosystem. And the Indian tea growers are now spreading the aroma, taste, and colour of Indian tea to the world.
The world has already tasted and appreciated the flavours of Sikkim, Nilgiris, Kangra, and Assam teas and expressed hope that other varieties of tea would also open the world’s mind and palate to more flavours of India.
Goyal said that the One District and One Product (ODOP) scheme will give the impetus needed to spread the glory of Indian tea. He added that in order to make the tea sector profitable, viable, and sustainable, we must enhance the ‘AROMA’ of tea, provide assistance to small growers to improve quality while maintaining sustainability, and increase production to meet domestic and international demand.
Re-energise: Create infrastructure to augment exports and focus on high-value markets such as the EU, Canada, South America, and the Middle East. Organic: Promote organic and GI tea through brand promotion and marketing. Modernization: To enable tea farmers to become self-reliant and strengthen local supply chains Adaptability: Focus on the importance of a risk-proof ecosystem, that is, the need for sustainable solutions to make tea plantations meet the challenges of climate change.