Bengal: Planters' body seeks Centre's intervention to protect Darjeeling tea from Nepal imports

Siliguri, Nov 8 (UNI) The Terai Indian Planters' Association (TIPA) has urged the Tea Board of India to intervene immediately to protect West Bengal's tea industry, particularly Darjeeling tea, from an alleged influx of low-quality tea from Nepal and the growing financial crisis facing tea estates. In a letter to S. Soundararajan, Director of Tea Development, Tea Board of India, TIPA chairman Mahendra Prasad Bansal has sought urgent measures to check the entry of substandard Nepal tea, strengthen quality control and protect the global reputation of Darjeeling tea. Bansal claimed that around 16 million kg of tea from Nepal enters…