The Terai Indian Planters' Association urged the Tea Board of India to stop the entry of low-quality Nepal tea. Chairman Mahendra Prasad Bansal said, "Such practices were damaging the brand value of Indian tea." Many estates face a financial crisis, and workers fear that the industry could soon collapse.
The planters have sought urgent measures to check the entry of substandard Nepal tea and protect the global reputation of Darjeeling tea.
Amid the alleged influx of low-quality tea from Nepal and the growing financial crisis facing tea estates, the Terai Indian Planters' Association (TIPA) has urged the Tea Board of India to intervene immediately to protect Bengal's tea industry.
In a letter to S. Soundararajan, Director of Tea Development, Tea Board of India, TIPA chairman Mahendra Prasad Bansal has sought urgent measures to check the entry of substandard Nepal tea, strengthen quality control and protect the global reputation of Darjeeling tea.
Bansal claimed that around 16 million kg of tea from Nepal enters India annually, often allegedly being blended and marketed as premium Indian tea, including Darjeeling tea. He said such practices were damaging the brand value of Indian tea and called for stricter testing of imported consignments and effective enforcement of existing regulations.
Referring to the 198th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, submitted in August 2026, he also highlighted the trade imbalance under the Indo-Nepal Trade Treaty. While Nepalese tea enters India duty-free, Indian tea reportedly faces a 40 per cent tariff in Nepal, he pointed out.
The association has also sought the implementation of the committee's recommendations, including stricter safeguards for GI-tagged Darjeeling tea, a revival package for closed gardens and an impartial assessment of the industry.
Highlighting the financial distress of tea estates, Bansal said subsidy claims of more than 300 gardens, despite the completion of approved development activities, had been rejected due to a shortage of funds.
West Bengal has around 449 organised tea estates across Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars, employing approximately 2.62 lakh workers. He warned that the continuing crisis could accelerate garden closures, trigger further migration of workers and adversely affect investor confidence in the state.
He urged the Tea Board and the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry to take immediate steps to safeguard the industry and the livelihoods dependent on it.