Apprehending influx of Nepal teain abundance into the domestic market, Darjeeling tea planters, who are currently bearing the brunt of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, on Monday urged the West Bengal government to impose a ban on the import of tea from the neighbouring country."We write to draw your attention that it has come to our knowledge that the production of tea in our neighbouring country Nepal has been in full force since the beginning of February 2020, and continued since even during the period of lockdown despite of the COVID-19 pandemic in their country," the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) said in a letter to Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha on Monday.The Nepal tea is "ready and in the process of being shipped into India through the India-Nepal land borders in the state" to be sold in the local markets, taking the advantage of the absence of Darjeeling Tea in the markets due to the lockdown restrictions, planters said."We write to request that the sale of imported tea from Nepal in the state of West Bengal be regulated. We seek ban on the retail sale of Nepal tea in loose form in West Bengal," the letter read.Tea from Nepal is very similar to the Darjeeling variety but is cheaper, DTA's principal adviser Sandip Mukherjee said."Even though the gardens have been allowed to operate with limited manpower during the ongoing lockdown, the Darjeeling tea production has already been down by 45 per cent due to the COVID-19 crisis. In view of this, we are apprehending that unchecked flow of Nepal tea could capture the Darjeeling tea markets in the country," Mukherjee told PTI.Selling of Nepal varieties in the name of Darjeeling tea is causing financial loss to the industry which provides "employment and livelihood of more than 50 per cent of the population" of the hills district in West Bengal, he said."Nepal tea enters into the India market as there is free trade agreement but what is hurting the planters of the hills is that Nepal tea is sold in the name of Darjeeling tea duping customers. Here comes the role of the regulator to stop such illicit practice," he said.Mukherjee said apart from Kolkata and Siliguri, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi markets of Darjeeling tea could be "taken over by cheap Nepalese variety".He said the industry is also apprehending that the Nepal tea could capture its overseas markets as exports of Darjeeling came to a halt due to non-availability of logistics during the lockdown.The DTA also claimed that tea imported from Nepal is not in compliance with the Food Safety and Standard Regulations and said it put the health of consumers at risk."The Nepal tea industry is primarily an unorganised sector and therefore the production of Nepal tea takes place without any formal food safety regulation compliance. On the other hand, 70 per cent of the Darjeeling tea is certified organic," the planters' body said in the letter.All retail sale of Nepal tea "have to be compulsorily sold in packs having FSSAI compliance", it added.
