The unbridled influx of tea from Nepal is affecting both the domestic and international markets of Indian tea, stakeholders of the north Bengal tea industry said on Saturday.

“Around 25 to 30 million kilos of poor-quality teas are being imported into India in a year and the maximum amount comes from Nepal. This is because no import duty is charged according to the bilateral trade agreement (between India and Nepal). Nepal teas are sold domestically and exported to other countries as Indian teas. This is affecting the market and the repute of the brew produced in India,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary general of the Tea Association of India (TAI).

He was speaking at the 53rd annual general meeting of the association held at the Toorsa Gymkhana Club in Kalchini, Alipurduar district, on Saturday.

Bhattacharjee said because of the lower cost of tea production, countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, and Kenya have the potential to offer average-quality tea at much lower prices, even after considering transportation charges.

“A minimum import price of teas should be fixed in consonance with the average auction price of the country to stop the influx of cheaper teas, especially from Nepal. Also, the mechanism of inspection should be strengthened to ensure that teas imported into India comply with the guidelines of FSSAI,” he added.

At the meeting, the planters said the total tea production in 2024 in India was around 1,285 million kilos, which is around 109 million kilos or eight per cent less than the production in 2023.

In north Bengal, the total production in 2024 was 373.48 million kilos.

Chinmay Dhar, the chairman of the north Bengal branch of the TAI, also underscored the problems posed by the import of teas from Nepal and sought certain interventions from the central government and the Tea Board.

“The entry of Nepal tea should be allowed through a single land customs station or transit route so that the FSSAI (Food Safety & Standards Authority of India) can develop adequate infrastructure to check such teas. Also, such teas should mandatorily carry sanitary and phytosanitary certificates to ensure that those are fit for human consumption,” said Dhar.

The Centre should impose a quantitative restriction on the import or impose an anti-dumping duty to curb the entry of teas to India because India is a major tea producer in the world, he added.

Dhar said since 2011, there had been a 178 per cent rise in tea garden workers' wages. But during this corresponding period, the tea prices increased only by 69 per cent.