Tea Board India has warned brokers operating at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) not to buy or sell inferior teas which are bound to reach the market owing to surge in production.

The board in a advisory to all brokers at GTAC said it had received feedback of a surge in production and supply of inferior quality teas in the market. Such teas, which are likely to flout the specifications laid down by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), may have been on sale in the auction or in private through the tea brokers under GTAC.

Record production has led to a demand-supply imbalance, bringing down prices. In fact, some teas are selling for as low as Rs 60-70kg in GTAC. Tea production in the country has increased to 1,389.70 million kg in 2019 from 1,338.63 million kg in 2018. Assam’s tea production in 2019 was 715.79 million kg, an increase of 23.88 million kg compared to 691.91 million kg in 2018. The share of the big growers is 704.62 million kg, while that of the small growers is 685.08 million kg. Figures for other areas revealed that Bengal’s tea production went up by 30.06 million kg in 2019 compared to 2018 while south India’s production went down by 5.83 million kg in 2019 compared to 2018.

The board said pan-India auction rules stipulate that only teas conforming to the FSSAI standards shall be catalogued and offered for sale and in case of any doubt, the broker shall send the teas for testing/chemical analysis. The Tea (Marketing) Control Order also prohibits manufacturing and dealing of teas not conforming to the specifications laid down by FSSAI.

“In this regard, it is hereby informed that for the greater interest of the industry and the name and fame of Assam Tea, any tea broker under GTAC, in case, is indulging in buying/selling of such inferior quality teas through auction or privately may refrain from such practice and all the tea brokers are hereby directed not to promote such inferior quality reach the market and consumers,” the advisory said.

On the action that can be taken against brokers, a board official said it will depend on inspection/inquiry as it tested teas periodically. “As and when established to be a defaulter, under the existing provision of TMCO, action of suspension/cancellation may be taken by the board following due procedure,” the official said.

The board said it had been observed during visits to several warehouses that the bags opened by broker personnel for collection of sample are not sealed on the same day. In this regard, it directed the personnel could leave the warehouse only after ensuring that the sampled bags are sealed and are in place. In the event of any breach by the warehouse concerned, it may also be brought to the notice of the board.