India Lifts Tea Export Restrictions; Mandatory Testing of Every Truck No Longer Required
News Summary
- India’s Tea Board has withdrawn the mandatory tea testing requirement, easing tea exports from Nepal to India.
- According to the new directive from the Indian Tea Board, compulsory testing is no longer required for tea destined for internal consumption.
- This ends the export disruption that lasted for three weeks, resuming normal tea trade operations from Nepal to India.
June 6, Kathmandu – The export disruption of tea from Nepal to India that persisted for three weeks has been resolved.
The Tea Board of India, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has revoked the compulsory sampling requirement for tea, thereby facilitating the resumption of Nepali tea exports.
The Indian Tea Board revised this decision on Tuesday night by issuing a new corrigendum (Corrigendum-2), which has brought relief to Nepali tea traders.
A joint meeting involving officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Customs Department, and the Tea Board resulted in the updated regulations that reopened the channel for Nepali tea exports to India starting Wednesday.
Acting Nepalese Ambassador to India, Dr. Surendra Thapa, stated that the issue was resolved through proactive efforts by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepalese Embassy in India, alongside positive cooperation from the Indian government. “Our active initiative and the supportive approach of the Indian authorities helped resolve this problem,” he added.
Under the revised standards announced by the Tea Board, distinct testing protocols will now be applied separately to tea meant for India’s internal market and tea imported for re-export to third countries.
Until further formal clarification or instructions are issued by FSSAI, the Tea Board will not conduct mandatory testing for tea intended for domestic consumption in India.
However, Customs or FSSAI may still perform random sample testing based on their risk management systems.
This means that the previous obligation to stop and mandatorily test every tea truck entering India’s internal market from Nepal has been lifted.
In contrast, Indian traders who purchase Nepali tea for re-export to third countries with attractive packaging and branding will remain subject to strict regulations.
Consignments of tea imported into India for re-export will be required to undergo compulsory testing as per the Tea Board’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) dated February 10, 2026.
Additionally, the Tea Board has shortened the turnaround time for tea testing results to enhance trade facilitation. Whereas before the minimum wait for a test report was 15 days, now laboratories must upload the test report online within five days of receiving the sample.
This recent facilitation by India has boosted confidence within Nepal’s tea industry.
Senior Vice President of Nepal Tea Producers Association, Shiv Kumar Gupta, confirmed that India has completely withdrawn the compulsory sample testing rule, thus opening the path for exports.
“The Tea Board of India has now revoked the compulsory testing requirement it had imposed earlier,” Gupta said. “With the removal of this rule, tea exports have fully reopened for now.”
However, he noted that it remains unclear whether India’s decision is permanent or temporary.
According to Senior Vice President Gupta, despite the current deregulation, India may implement new systems or procedures in the future.
“They may be preparing a new system and have temporarily withdrawn this rule accordingly,” he explained. “We are yet to know what new procedures might be introduced, but exports are open for now without any testing barriers until new regulations arrive.”
Kamal Minaly, President of Nepal Tea Association, acknowledged the new circular issued by India on Tuesday which has simplified exports and immediately resolved the problems.
“The recent facilitation from India will provide relief to farmers, industrialists, and traders,” he said.
India had previously introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) effective from April 1, requiring each truck of tea entering India to pay a fee of 11,120 Indian Rupees and wait at least two weeks for the test report.
This resulted in a complete halt of Nepal’s tea exports to India. The Nepalese Embassy maintained regular communication with India’s Ministry of Commerce and the Tea Board, requesting removal of the obstacles, culminating in this facilitation after three weeks.
According to Customs Department data, tea exports are significant for Nepal’s economy. In the previous fiscal year alone, tea exports to India accounted for NPR 398.33 crore.
Up to the end of Chaitra (mid-April) this fiscal year, NPR 233.59 crore worth of tea has been exported.
Business stakeholders now hope that tea exports will continue smoothly without further disruptions.