The Tea Board is mulling a GI protection for Nilgiri and Kangra varieties, to offer protection internationally.
KOLKATA: When it comes to protecting the Indian brew, the flavour has to be different for India, where varieties vary across regions.
After a protection under the Geographical Indications (GI) Act for Darjeeling tea, the Tea Board is mulling a GI protection for Nilgiri and Kangra varieties, to offer protection internationally. Assam the largest tea growing state, may have separate logos for its regional varieties instead of a common GI identification because of its non- homogenous geographical character.
GI is a sign used on products, in this case region-specific varieties, that have a specific geographical origin and possesses qualities or reputation that are due to the place of origin and helps prevent misuse of the name.
While it is true that tea varieties grown in Nilgiris and Kangra have characters unique to the geographical areas where they are grown and cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world under these names, in Assam the picture is different.
“The marketing strategies have to be different in case of Assam which is a large state and the quality and variety of tea from this area are largely different. Perhaps we could have some regional protection formats like logos for sub regions in the state. But we are yet to take a final decision on this,” Basudeb Banerjee, chairman, Tea Board told DNA Money. Assam has huge variations in its tea tastes. For example, Cachhar tea is different in taste than Assam Valley tea.
The Tea Board may encourage logos for companies and packers to drive larger volumes and quality teas. “But all of this has to be discussed with the industry first,” the chairman said.
Earlier, the idea was to put Assam tea in line with the exclusive Darjeeling brew on the GI protection, as these too had a specific identity especially for the famous ‘second flush’ and were renowned for their malty intrinsic character.
“The main problem is that of contiguity in Assam, apart from seasonal issues which reflect on the tastes. For GI, the product originating from that geographical area should reflect the distinctiveness.
The same is true for tea varieties in Tamil Nadu as well, where a distinctiveness is absent, although tea from the Nilgiris have a distinctive character,” M Dasgupta, secretary general, Indian Tea Association said.
A number of options might emerge-while the Board could have different logos for Assam tea, it could also delineate a specific region in the state that could have a GI protection.
The marketing plank could be completely different for tea, used as blends or fillers.
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