Tea Board to tweet to boost tea consumption

Will use Facebook and Twitter to promote beverage, campaign begins in 2 months

Tea Board has embarked on using the social media to promote consumption of the beverage within the country and abroad.

"We will use the social media like Facebook and Twitter intensely to promote consumption of the beverage highlighting its health-related aspects," Tea Board Chairman M G V K Bhanu told PTI.

The campaign would start in two months time, Bhanu said.

Domestic consumption of tea has been growing at an absolute amount of 20-25 million kg a year, considered by the industry to be a decent one.

Bhanu said that production was commensurate with domestic consumption which was largely met by the contribution of small tea growers estimated at 250 million kg per annum.

About exports, Bhanu said that the focus countries were USA, Russia, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Iran.

"We want to develop exports in these five countries in a focussed manner. We have increased our participation in the exhibition in these countries," he said.

Regarding Pakistan, he said exports had slowed down largely due to increased prices of Indian tea. "Pakistan is now lifting tea from Vietnam. This is not a border issue," he said.

When asked to comment on the Parliamentary panel's recent observation about exports of bad quality tea, Bhanu said that the Tea Board had taken the matter very seriously.

"Two tea councils had been formed, one each in North and South India," he said.

Bhanu said Tea Board would take strict action against gardens manufacturing bad quality tea and not conforming to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

"Tea councils under Tea Board will check the quality of tea. Last week, 1000 kilos of tea was destroyed in South India for not conforming to FSSAI," Bhanu said.