Safeguarding India's Tea Legacy: A Call to Action

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal urged India's tea industry to adopt sustainable practices, ensure responsible labor standards, and enhance traceability. He emphasized maintaining low maximum residue levels and complete supply chain traceability to safeguard the reputation and quality of Indian tea on the global stage.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has highlighted the urgent need for India's tea sector to embrace sustainable practices and uphold responsible labor standards. Speaking at a conference, Goyal emphasized the importance of enhancing traceability systems to ensure the high-quality standard of tea produced within the country.

The minister called for keeping maximum residue levels (MRLs) low, echoing the need for innovation to maintain these standards. He underscored the necessity of complete traceability across the supply chain, stressing that protecting the integrity of Indian tea should be a priority from the process of plucking to the packaging and export stages.

Goyal asserted that improved traceability would not only help preserve India's standing as a global leader in the tea industry but also foster greater trust among international buyers. This, in turn, would lead to better value for farmers and small growers, securing the future of India's tea legacy.

(With inputs from agencies.)