Federation draws serious attention to obstruction in tea export and establishment of industries

लगानी न्यूज

१ असार २०८३, सोमबार १५:३८June 15, 2026

. KATHMANDU: The Federation of Nepalese Tea Exporters (FNCCI) has said that its serious attention has been drawn towards the obstruction in Nepal’s tea export and the establishment of the industry.

The Nepali tea industry, which has been the backbone of Nepal’s economy, agriculture and livelihood especially in the eastern hill region, is currently facing a difficult situation due to non-tariff barriers created by India.TAG_OPEN_div_18

The export of tea from Nepal has come to a complete halt due to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) implemented by the Tea Board of India (TB) from May 1 and impractical standards to mandatorily test each consignment.TAG_OPEN_div_17

The Federation has drawn serious attention to the fact that 53 tea factories in eastern Nepal are on the verge of closure due to such disruption.TAG_OPEN_div_16 The Federation believes that such disruptions have caused irreparable damage to the employment of thousands of farmers, billions of rupees invested by entrepreneurs and to the export trade of the country.

The FNCCI has strongly demanded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies for a long-term diplomatic and trade solution rising above the ad-hoc solution.TAG_OPEN_div_14 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Industry, Commerce and Supplies have demanded that an emergency meeting of Nepal-India commerce secretary-level or technical committee be called immediately to end the deadlock in tea export.

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s prime minister and ministers have demanded direct diplomatic dialogue with their Indian counterparts to bring back tea exports to normal.TAG_OPEN_div_12 KATHMANDU: India should create an environment for India to automatically recognize the certification issued by the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control by signing the Mutual Recognition Agreement between the two countries to resolve the long-term problems surfaced in regard to the quality testing of Nepali tea.

The government has demanded immediate announcement of special budget and investment to upgrade Nepal’s central laboratories to international standards and accredited by the Tea Board of India or FSSAI.TAG_OPEN_div_10 Likewise, the committee has demanded that the government provide necessary relief to the farmers and the tea industries facing crisis and facilitate in finding alternative market.