India has revised the Standard Operating Procedure that had disrupted tea exports from Nepal, easing concerns among Nepali tea producers and exporters.

Following instructions from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Tea Board of India has relaxed the mandatory testing requirement imposed on imported tea.

According to a circular received by the Post, tea imported for domestic sale in India will, for now, be exempt from compulsory laboratory testing.

The decision is expected to help resume Nepali tea exports that had nearly stalled over the past two weeks.

Aditya Parajuli, president of the Nepal Tea Producers’ Association, said tea exports would now return to normal.

“With the new arrangement in place, industries are preparing to resume sending tea that had remained stuck at border points,” he said.

Tea entrepreneur Udaya Chapagain said most Nepali tea exported to India is sold in the Indian domestic market, so the decision would reduce delays at border points, lower costs, and help normalise exports.

Under the previous rules introduced by India on May 1, samples from every tea consignment exported, including from Nepal, had to be collected and tested at a lab in Kolkata.

Exporters said the requirement forced trucks to remain idle until test reports arrived, resulting in high costs and long delays. Indian authorities had defended the measure as part of efforts to tighten quality checks and curb adulteration.

Industry representatives cited one example in which a tea shipment sent from Jhapa through the Panitanki border point remained stranded on the Indian side for 14 days.

They said samples were collected only after four days, while the laboratory report had still not arrived even after 10 days.

Officials at the Tea Board India had also reportedly warned Indian traders against purchasing tea from Nepal. They had indicated they could inspect warehouses and collect samples if imported Nepali tea was found, adding to concerns among Nepali producers.

The Indian Tea Board has established a new office in Panitanki to collect samples from consignments of unprocessed tea entering India. After clearing customs in Nepal, consignments must undergo Indian customs clearance.

Indian importers are also required to submit detailed information—including arrival date, warehouse location, container details and proforma invoices—through the Tea Council portal.

Under the revised arrangement, mandatory testing will no longer apply to tea intended for sale within India. However, tea meant for re-export will still require testing.

India’s customs authorities and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will continue random sampling under their risk management systems.

The decision to relax the mandatory testing requirement followed continued diplomatic discussions between Nepali and Indian officials.

After India imposed the restrictions, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi took up the matter with Indian authorities, according to Surendra Thapa, the charge d'affaires at Nepali Embassy in New Delhi.

“The government of India responded positively to our request and amended the previous decision,” Thapa said.

According to the Department of Customs, Nepal’s tea exports declined by 19 percent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2025-26, with shipments worth Rs2.89 billion. Export volume fell 22.2 percent to 10,124 tonnes during the review period.

India remains Nepal’s largest tea market. Nepal exported 9,529 tonnes of black tea worth Rs2.32 billion to India during the review period. Smaller quantities were shipped to the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Iraq, France, Germany, Japan and Turkey.

In the last fiscal year, Nepal exported 15,598 tonnes of tea worth Rs4.59 billion, up 26.64 percent from the previous year.

Tea cultivation in Nepal spans more than 20,302 hectares and involves over 15,000 farmers, employing around 60,000 people. The country has 170 tea estates and 120 processing units.

Exporters have repeatedly warned that Nepal’s overreliance on the Indian market has created long-term uncertainty for the tea sector.

“The government has failed to help producers and exporters explore international markets,” said Kamal Mainali, president of the Nepal Tea Association. “It is difficult for individual exporters to enter new markets on their own.”

According to producers and exporters, countries such as Iran, Russia, Pakistan, China, European nations and the Middle East hold significant potential for Nepali tea, although current export volumes remain limited.

“Pakistan and the Middle East are promising markets for Nepali tea. We could expand exports to Pakistan through a bilateral agreement,” said Mainali.

China is also viewed as a strong potential market for Nepal’s premium tea products.