Representative image.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Seeking a revival and sustainable development of the tea industry in North Bengal, the Indian Tea Association (ITA) on Wednesday (August 26, 2026) published two white papers on the Darjeeling Tea Industry and the Dooars & Terai Tea Industry.
The Darjeeling White Paper, in particular, highlights the sharp decline in production—from 14.49 million kg in 1990 to 5.6 million kg in 2025—and calls for urgent, targeted intervention to safeguard the globally recognised GI heritage of Darjeeling Tea.
“The Darjeeling White Paper proposes an indicative annual financial support package of approximately Rs. 113 crore, covering areas such as orthodox tea production, working capital interest support, transport, mechanisation, social security support, rejuvenation and factory modernisation,” a press statement by ITA said.
The white paper on Dooars & Terai Tea Industry points out at a market asymmetry where small tea growers, who account for 68% of State production, operate without comparable statutory welfare obligations, while organised estates bear the full burden of housing, healthcare and compliance costs, creating a dual-cost environment that depresses auction prices and threatens the organised sector’s survival.
Over the past few weeks the representatives of ITA met State’s Industry Minister Tapas Roy, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta and Advisor to Chief Minister Subrata Gupta.
“The White Papers comprehensively examine the structural, financial, climatic, labour and market-related challenges confronting these two iconic tea-growing regions and set out a roadmap of policy interventions aimed at restoring competitiveness, strengthening sustainability, protecting livelihoods and promoting long-term investment,” the statement from ITA said.
The association expressed hope that the white papers would facilitate continued dialogue with the State Government and lead to time-bound and coordinated policy interventions for the revival of the Darjeeling and Dooars–Terai tea industries.
Published – August 27, 2026 04:41 am IST
