POTENTIALS AND PROSPECTS OF ORGANIC TEA: AN APPROACH TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

PRADIP BARUAH¹*, GAUTAM HANDIQUE^2
1Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat, 785008, Assam, India
²Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat, 785008, Assam, India
* Corresponding Author : pbaruahdr@gmail.com

Received : 18-10-2018     Accepted : 12-03-2019     Published : 15-03-2019
Volume : 11     Issue : 5       Pages : 8007 - 8009
Int J Agr Sci 11.5 (2019):8007-8009

Keywords : Organic tea, Global market
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Author thankful to Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat, 785008, Assam
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

Organic tea production has increased over the past decade because of the perceived higher quality of the tea as well as the benefits for environmental and human wellbeing. Moreover, organic tea will also help in better price realization and uplift the socio-economic condition of tea growers. The organic tea movement which started in Sri Lanka in 1980 has now become popular all over the world and many countries such as India, China, Japan, etc. have shifted to organic tea cultivation. At present, China is the world’s largest producer of organic green tea followed by India and Sri Lanka while Japan, South Korea, Kenya and Turkey have emerged as minor exporters of organic tea. Among the different forms of organic tea available in the market, black organic tea occupies a dominant market position. The demand for organic tea has been increasing all over the world with increasing consumer awareness. However, the switch to organic tea farming will start some challenges such as lack of knowledge in the field of organic cultivation by farmers, waiting period for conversion which can be in years, financial hurdles for certification, competition from large tea corporates, etc. Nevertheless, the production of organic tea will require commitment to improve the cultivation and the physical ability to implement a farming system. With immense potentials, further support from respective governmental agencies and a guaranteed price on organic tea, it can be the future for the entire tea industry.

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