Asian tea confederation on the anvil
Ann/ The Statesman
In a bid to cater to the common interests of three major tea growing Asian countries -- India, China and Sri Lanka -- the proposal for formation of a joint tea confederation is gaining momentum.The proposal, which the Indian tea industry has been buzzing about for quite some time now, got a significant stimulation with a visiting Chinese tea delegation expressing their eagerness for having such a joint regional forum. The 13-member Chinese delegation, which is now in Kolkata as part of its six-day long visit, raised the issue in its meeting with Tea Board of India officials on March 4. Huang Hanqing, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Tea of China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products (CFNA), and leader of the delegation, placed the matter before the Tea Board of India chairman Basudev Banarjee and other representatives from the Indian tea industry. The proposal of the Chinese delegation has received much appreciation, as the Indian tea industry itself is propagating the matter keeping in mind the massive invasion by Western countries like the United States into the international tea trade arena.
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