Nepal has officially launched ‘Nepal Tea’, the collective trademark of Nepali orthodox tea, to promote the commodity in the international market. Officials launched the trademark at the base camp of Mount Everest on Friday. 

Nepali orthodox tea has been gaining popularity in the international market because of quality, aroma, taste and aftertaste. Yet, other popular tea brands, such as Darjeeling tea overshadow the Nepali product abroad due to lack of branding. 

The collective trademark will work as a tool to brand the product abroad and help Nepali tea producers to expand their footprint in the global orthodox tea market.

Nepal grows commercial tea for more than 60 years. Local consumers used it most of these years.

Nepal used to produce 7 million kgs of tea in 2001-02, according to NTCDB. Since then, tea production has jumped by over three-fold to 24 million kg per year. National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) Executive Director Shesh Kant Gautam said, “We now export around half of the tea produced in the country, which has transformed Nepal into a tea exporting country.”

Nepal exported tea worth Rs2.5 billion in 2016-17, according to Trade and Export Promotion Centre. The export surged by 26.5 percent to Rs2.21 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year.

Foreigners prefer Nepali tea because of its aroma and fruity flavour, according to Gautam. “These qualities have helped Nepali tea gain popularity in international markets,” he said.

Nepal produces tea at an altitude of 800-2,200 meters from the sea level. Previously, the production centered in few districts, such as Ilam and Jhapa of eastern Nepal. Lately, tea gardens flourish in other parts of the country as well. At present, over 26,000 hectares of land all over the country produces tea. 

Nepal produces around 5.5 million kgs of orthodox tea in the hills. It also produces 18.5 million kgs of crush-tear-curl (CTC) tea, known for its strong and bright appearance, in the low lands of Terai. 

Speaking at the inaugural session of the third edition of International Tea Festival, which opened in Kathmandu on Friday, Tea Board of India Chairman Prabhat Kamal Bezboruah said, “Nepal produces high quality tea. However, there is a need to build capacity at both production and enterprise level. India is ready to cooperate on this front.” 

He dismissed talks of Nepali tea being inferior to Darjeeling tea as baseless. 

Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal said poor marketing and lack of commercialisation and mechanisation in the sector prevent Nepali tea from becoming competitive in the international market.