KATHMANDU – India has eased inspection requirements for tea, imported from Nepal, replacing the mandatory testing of every shipment with a risk-based system that is expected to ease a weeks-long export bottleneck.
According to a circular released on June 23 issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), only 20 percent of imported tea consignments will now be selected randomly for the quality testing. This revised inspection regime took immediate effect at all the Indian check points.
The move follows diplomatic efforts by Nepal after India’s decision earlier this month to subject every tea consignment to mandatory quality testing disrupted exports and forced dozens of tea factories in eastern Nepal to suspend or reduce production.
As per reports, the officials said the new system would allow faster customs clearance for most shipments, lower storage and testing costs.
The relaxation of the inspection requirements will also reduce delay for exporters complying with the Indian food safety standards.
Tea producers welcomed the decision but warned that uncertainty still remains due to frequent changes in India’s import rules. They urged both the governments to continue diplomatic engagement to ensure uninterrupted availability to Nepal’s largest tea export market.
According to the Nepal Tea Producers Association, exports to India are expected to resume from Monday. Around 1,500 tonnes of tea from Nepal remain stranded in warehouses while another 300 tonnes are awaiting laboratory clearance in India.
Nepal produces more than 27,000 tonnes of tea annually including about 8,000 tonnes of orthodox tea and 19,000 tonnes of CTC tea.
