Global sip

Jorhat, Jan. 5: The Indian Institute of Plantation Management, Bangalore, is organising a two-day event to upgrade tea tasting and marketing skills among tea planters in the state at Gymkhana Club here on January 11.

Tea planters in Assam will get an opportunity to taste teas from all over the world, especially Kenya, which has emerged a major competitor in the market.

The Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), a centre of excellence and the first national institute of its kind, was established at the initiative of the ministry of commerce and industry.

It is co-promoted by the Commodity Boards of India.

This would be for the first time in Assam that such an event is being organised.

The planters will get an opportunity to taste the teas of various nations and learn new marketing strategies in the face of global challenges.

Samples of tea around the world would be on display during the event.

“Such a programme was held successfully at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in November last year and was a great help for the tea planters. We have some very positive feedback from the participants of the Coonoor event,” Rangan Bhuyan, an official at the IIPM centre here, told The Telegraph today.

The official said experts in the field — V.G. Dhanakumar, director, IIPM, K.G. Nanda, former vice-president, Tata Tea Ltd, and Ravi Suchanti, director, J. Thomas and Co Pvt. Ltd, will interact with the planters.

Bhuyan said as teas from all over the world would be made available during the event, the planters would taste teas from other countries and get an idea on how to improve the quality of their own produce.

“Kenyan tea has become a major competitor for Assam tea in the global market in recent times. Our planters can taste Kenyan tea and compete with teas produced in the African country,” Bhuyan said.

The IIPM official added that participants at the event would also get an idea regarding the global market while interacting with professionals.

“Proper marketing of tea is the need of the hour for Assam tea,” he said.

Participants at the recently-held World Tea Science Congress held at Tocklai were also of the view that Assam tea has been losing the global market to Kenya and Sri Lanka tea because of a lack of proper marketing.

“Assam tea should be marketed in such a way that it attracts the younger generation,” Bill Gorman, the chairman of the UK Tea Council, had said.

Gorman had alleged that India has been pumping poor quality tea that into the global market in recent times, which has led to the reduced demand.