Kathmandu, June 28: India has once again relaxed its tea import procedures, bringing fresh relief to Nepal’s tea sector.
Previously, every truck carrying processed tea from Nepal was required to undergo mandatory sampling, and sales were allowed only after laboratory test reports were received. The policy had caused lengthy delays and disrupted exports.
In a circular issued on June 23, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) instructed its agencies to conduct laboratory tests on only 20 percent of imported tea consignments selected randomly under a risk-based system. The new rule has come into effect immediately.
Nepali tea exporters welcomed the decision, saying it would reduce delays. Nepal Tea Producers Association President Aditya Parajuli said the move was encouraging because testing one sample would now allow multiple truckloads of tea to enter India, instead of requiring every shipment to be tested.
This is the second time in about six weeks that India has eased its tea import rules. A similar decision was announced on May 19, allowing exports to resume after a 19-day disruption. However, Indian authorities later continued collecting samples from every truck at border checkpoints and warehouses in Kolkata, creating fresh bottlenecks.
The delays forced tea factories in Ilam and Jhapa to suspend operations earlier this month. Production resumed only after the Nepali government intervened to resolve the issue.
According to FSSAI, the revised testing system was approved at a meeting chaired by India’s commerce secretary on June 16. The authority said the risk-based inspection system would apply at all entry points, regardless of whether FSSAI personnel are stationed there.
The decision is significant because India is Nepal’s largest tea export market. Industry representatives say mandatory testing of every consignment had delayed shipments for weeks, increased costs and affected tea quality. Around 300,000 kilograms of Nepali tea had remained stranded in Kolkata warehouses awaiting laboratory clearance.
Senior tea industry leader Shiv Kumar Gupta said the new arrangement appears to require sample collection only at border checkpoints instead of warehouses, which should speed up customs clearance and reduce congestion. However, exporters remain cautious and say the effectiveness of the decision will depend on how the Indian Tea Board implements the directive.
The latest Indian circular does not specifically mention Nepal and states that the revised testing procedure applies to all imported tea.
Nepal has around 120 tea factories and more than 100 small and medium enterprises in the sector, providing direct and indirect employment to an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people. Last fiscal year, the country exported tea worth Rs 4.75 billion. India accounted for about 90 percent of Nepal’s orthodox tea exports and nearly half of its CTC tea exports.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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