Ilam. KATHMANDU: Tea factories in Suryodaya area of Ilam district have decided to shut down after India imposed a ban on the import of Nepali tea. Suryodaya Orthodox Tea Producers Association Nepal has announced to shut down its tea industry from June 15.

According to the Association, more than three hundred thousand kilograms of Nepali tea that has reached the Indian market due to the quality test is out of stock at the factories. Dilli Shrestha, president of the association, said that the industry has not been able to operate as the storage capacity is full.

“We have processed the green leaves purchased from the farmers to make readymade tea but it has not been sold in the market. Even the storage space has been filled,” Shrestha said, adding, “The payment to the farmers cannot be stopped, so there is no other option but to shut down the industries.” ”

KATHMANDU: India has implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on tea imported from Nepal from May 1, 2026. As per the provision, the tea of each vehicle should be tested separately, it will take more than 20 days for the report to be received and the sale will not be allowed until the results are received. If the test fails, the tea will have to be destroyed or brought back.

Industrialist Gopal Kattel said, “The market is almost closed for tea produced by India. He urged the federal government to take effective initiatives to address the problem of export of Nepali tea. “The government should take initiatives to facilitate the export of tea through diplomatic initiatives on time. ”

Thousands of farmers will be affected due to the closure of the industry. There are 2,995 tea farmers in Suryodaya Municipality. Tea is cultivated on 33,655 ropanis of land in the district where 20 million kilograms of green leaves are produced annually. “If the industry is closed, the income will stop, how will the family run? We lose our livelihood,” said Rajan Bhattarai, a farmer. Now the worry of how to survive has increased. ”

Suryodaya Municipality, which has more than sixty-five tea industries, has urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately take high-level diplomatic initiative to clear Indian barrier to tea sale. The Municipality said that the Indian Tea Board had started collecting samples of each sack from the importers’ godown at the Nepali tea consignment which reached Kolkata, India.

Acting Mayor of Suryodaya municipality Durga Kumar Baral said, “There is a risk of quality Nepali tea being stored in India’s godown due to hassles and the quality will be spoiled. ”

According to Nabin Koirala of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Nepal exports more than 70 lakh kilograms of orthodox tea every year. More than 90 percent of which goes to the Indian market. Orthodox tea is produced mainly in Ilam, Panchthar and Dhankuta districts.