India pushing for a ban on Nepalese tea imports
Under the claim that “Nepalese tea imports are hampering the Darjeeling tea market”, the Tea Board of India proposed a ban against Nepalese tea to the Indian Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
Tea Board of India and Tea Forum of India had been speaking out against imports of Nepalese tea since a while back. Dr. K.N. Raghawan, vice-president at Tea Board of India, stated that “Nepalese tea is attacking the tea market of Darjeeling which is utterly wrong. Some businesses in India have begun branding the cheaper imported tea from Nepal as Darjeeling Tea. This has impacted the brand image of Darjeeling Tea”.
This move by India will come as a major blow to the nascent tea industry of Nepal. With an increase in tea exports by 34% this year, the industry was hinting at promising returns to the local farmers and tea businesses.
India has been known to make a number of provocative decisions against the well-being of its neighboring nations in the past. While strictly regulating its tea industry to prohibit false branding of Darjeeling Tea would be a solicitous move by the supposed “Big Brother”, banning raw Nepalese imports seems to be a hassle-free move to the Tea Board of India. Not so “Big Brother Like”, is it?
