Nepal Tea Trademark Provided To 12 Industries In First Phase
September 20, 2020 | Investopaper
Nepali Orthodox tea is about to reach the international market in its own identity after 157 years. In the first phase, 12 industries of the country, including 8 in Ilam, will be able to use the trademark ‘Nepal Tea- Quality from the Himalayas’ logo.
In order to use the trademark, theproducer of tea must meet the criteria set by the National Tea and Coffee Development Board and apply to the board. Of the 41 industries in the country that applied in the first phase, 12 have got the trademark. The board has stated that the rest of the industries that have applied, have quality as per the guidelines but have not been completed.
Gorkha Tea State, Nepal Small Tea, Taragaon Tea State and Oasis Tea State have got trademarks in Suryadaya Municipality. Jasbire Tea State, Himalayan Sangrila Tea Producers Pvt., High Hill Tea Cooperative and Sakhejung Tea State of Ilam Municipality have got trademarks in the first phase.
About ‘Nepal Tea- Quality from the Himalayas’ Trademark
For the implementation of the trademark, ‘Nepal Orthodox Tea Certification Trademark Implementation Guideline-2074’ has been formulated. As per the directive, a mark monitoring, management and regulation committee has been formed under the coordination of the executive director. The Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA), an association of tea industry, had prepared a trademark titled ‘Nepal Tea- Quality from the Himalayas’ and submitted it to the board. This trademark was made released in 2074.
The final producer of Nepali tea will be able to use the trademark. The guideline stipulates that the package or producer has to submit a tender to the board after reaching the specified quality of the tea and the trademark can be used only after the board has made on-site observation if necessary. There is a provision in the four-condition guideline that nature should be protected, people should be respected, produce should be clean and visible to all and attention should be paid to quality. The directive also mentions soil testing and implementation of the rights of the hired workers.
The directive has also provided a code of conduct to be followed by all, including green leaf producers, collectors and transporters, processors, packers, distributors, socially and environmentally. The grower should practice the effect of tea in agriculture, implement internal control system, pick only 2 leaves and 1 needle, pick only soft sterile leaves, pick leaves only in plastic mesh bags or heads.
Similarly, the producer should not mix chemical fertilizer in the green leaf material, the picked leaf should be kept in cool shade before transporting, the leaf should not be kept by digging or pressing and the leaf should be taken to the processing site within 8 hours of picking.
The leaf transporters should not store green leaves with other items, should be stored only in a pollution-free environment, and vehicles carrying tea leaves should be pollution-free. The processor should also practice good processing of the tea, give the producer a fair price for the green leaf, check the quality as soon as the leaf arrives at the factory, and keep clear details of where the leaf is from.
