In early April, the Government of Nepal announced that India had agreed to allow the import of 10 categories of Nepali food products—including tea and coffee—based on quality testing conducted in Nepali laboratories. However, tea exporters say this agreement has yet to be implemented in the case of tea.
India had agreed to recognize lab testing done in Nepal for a range of food items: fats and oils, fruits and vegetables, cereal products (such as rice, wheat, corn, and millet), tea and coffee, milk and dairy products, honey and sweeteners, meat products, spices, processed drinking water, and dietary supplements.
According to Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, the Indian Embassy has formally informed the department that it would accept test results from its lab. However, tea producers report that they still have to send samples to a lab in Kolkata, West Bengal, for quality certification.
“India has so far placed actual demand for only nine products, excluding tea and coffee,” said Mohan Krishna Maharjan, spokesperson for the department. “Although tea and coffee are on the agreed list, Nepal has yet to receive a formal request from the Indian side to begin testing them here.”
Maharjan added that exports of the other nine approved food items have already begun using quality certificates issued by Nepal’s laboratory, along with export permits and batch numbers.
Nepal exports most of its Orthodox and CTC tea to India via the Mechi border. A recent Nepal Rastra Bank study found that 85 percent of Orthodox tea grown in Koshi Province’s hill districts is exported to India.
“Even though India has recognized Nepal’s lab in principle, we haven’t received any official notice,” said Aditya Parajuli, president of the Nepal Tea Producers’ Association. “We still have to send tea to Kolkata for quality testing.”
He added that sending samples to Kolkata and obtaining certification is almost as expensive and time-consuming as exporting an entire truckload of tea. “That’s why we’ve been demanding international recognition for Nepal’s own labs for years,” he said.
Shiva Kumar Gupta, vice-president of the association and proprietor of Star Tea Industries, echoed the concern. “No government authority has instructed us to use local labs for tea testing so far. If we could test here, it would save both time and money.”
He also expressed skepticism about whether India will genuinely implement the agreement on lab recognition for tea.
According to the Department of Customs, Nepal exported 16.5 million kilograms of tea worth Rs 3.63 billion in Fiscal Year 2023/24. By mid-April of the current fiscal year, Nepal had already exported tea worth Rs 3.57 billion. With the new harvest underway, the Tea and Coffee Development Board expects exports to reach Rs 4.5 billion this year.
