Tea Board modifies order on blending imported with Indian varieties

The Tea Board, in its notification, has kept the sanctity of GI intact and allowed blending only for teas not claiming the GI mark

The Tea Board India, on Tuesday, superseded an earlier notification that prohibited blending any imported tea with Indian varieties tagged with geographical indications (GI) and allowed it for end products not claiming to be GI teas.

In November, the Tea Board under powers of the Tea (Marketing Control) Order, 2003, directed registered buyers not to blend any imported tea with GI teas — Darjeeling, Kangra, Assam (orthodox) and Nilgiri (orthodox).

hat impacted domestic procurement of Darjeeling tea by its largest buyer, Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL), and several representations from the industry followed.

According to Tea Board sources, the Union commerce ministry left