Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: India has removed the non-tariff barrier imposed on Nepali tea exports for the past three weeks, easing concerns among tea exporters and producers. The move comes after India’s Tea Board, operating under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, issued a notice on Tuesday night relaxing testing requirements for tea imported from Nepal.
According to the new notification, tea consignments imported for domestic consumption in India will now be subjected only to random sampling and testing, ending the earlier practice that effectively required routine inspections of nearly every truck carrying Nepali tea across the border.
The decision means tea exported from Nepal for consumption within India will no longer face mandatory and regular testing at every entry point. Instead, only selected consignments will undergo random quality checks.
In the third clause of the notice, the Indian Tea Board stated that, until formal clarification and directives are issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), tea consignments imported solely for domestic sale will not be subjected to Tea Board testing.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
President of the Nepal Tea Producers Association, Aditya Parajuli, said a random sampling system had existed earlier as well, with only 5 to 20 percent of samples occasionally tested.
He noted that under the latest Indian directive, testing requirements have been effectively suspended until further clarification is issued, providing immediate relief to Nepali exporters facing delays and uncertainty.
The latest notice, however, maintains stricter requirements for tea imported into India for re-export purposes. Indian businesses have long imported Nepali tea, repackaged and rebranded it, and exported it to overseas markets. Such consignments will continue to require mandatory truck-by-truck testing by the Indian Tea Board.
India has also shortened the testing timeline significantly. While laboratory reports previously took at least 15 days, the new rule requires laboratories to upload test reports within five days of receiving samples.
The fourth clause of the Tea Board notification mandates that concerned laboratories complete and upload testing reports within the five-day period, reducing delays in trade processing.
According to Nepal’s customs data, Nepal exported tea worth Rs 2.33 billion (Rs 233.59 crore) to India by the end of Chaitra in the current fiscal year. In the previous fiscal year, tea exports to India stood at Rs 3.98 billion (Rs 398.33 crore).
Industry stakeholders believe the easing of restrictions will restore normal export flows beginning Wednesday. Parajuli expressed confidence that tea shipments to India would resume smoothly and without disruption following the latest policy change.
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