Nepali tea exports to India through the Kakarbhitta border post in Jhapa have nearly doubled in the first quarter of the current fiscal year (2083/84 BS) compared to the same period last year.
According to data from the Mechi Customs Office, the customs office in Kakarbhitta, Jhapa, 1,715,932 kilograms of tea worth Rs 495.45 million were exported in Asoj of the current fiscal year. This is a substantial increase from the 902,445 kilograms of tea valued at Rs 247.41 million exported during Asoj of the last fiscal year (2082/83 BS).
The volume of tea exports increased by over 90 percent, and the revenue generated from these exports nearly doubled over the one-year period.
In addition to tea, exports of cardamom and plywood through the Kakarbhitta border post have also seen significant growth. The Mechi Customs Office reported that cardamom worth Rs 988.88 million and plywood worth Rs 442.35 million were exported last Asoj.
Tea produced in the eastern hilly districts of Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, and Jhapa is primarily exported to the Indian market via the Kakarbhitta border post.
Aditya Parajuli, chairman of the Tea Producers’ Association, attributed the increase in Nepali tea exports to a decline in tea production in India.
Background
- Nepal's tea cultivation began in 1920 BS when Colonel Gajraj Singh Thapa planted tea saplings received as a gift from China in Ilam.
- The Ilam Tea Estate was established in 1920 BS, followed two years later by the Soktim Tea Estate in Jhapa, leading to the expansion of tea cultivation in Nepal.
- In 2039 BS, during the reign of King Birendra, the government declared five eastern districts (Jhapa, Dhankuta, Tehrathum, Panchthar, and Ilam) as tea-producing regions.
- The National Tea and Coffee Development Board was established on Jestha 20, 2050 BS, through the National Tea and Coffee Development Board Act of 2049 BS.
What happens next
Nepal is set to export its tea under its own logo, 'Nepal Tea Quality from the Himalayas,' 157 years after the start of tea production. Initially, 12 companies across the country will receive the logo, with others to follow once they meet the standards. Indra Prasad Adhikari, regional chief of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, stated that the implementation of the logo will enhance the credibility of Nepali tea in the global market.
