The Indian tea industry would develop the ‘Trustea’ code for production of safe and hygienic teas as part of a sustainability initiative programme.
It involves the introduction of a country-specific sustainability code, which has been tailor-made for the Indian tea industry.
Launching the ‘India Sustainable Tea Program’ here this week, Tea Board Chairman M G V K Bhanu said the sustainability initiative would entail establishment of the code, which encompasses all aspects of tea production and seeks to embrace sustainability principles to boost productivity, safety and quality.
ADVERTISEMENT
The programme is being developed in partnership with the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Solidaridad and Rainforest Alliance. It is being supported by Hindustan Unilever Ltd and Tata Global Beverages.
The code which will be first launched on a pilot scale and later scaled up to bring within its fold 500 million kg of tea from 600 factories within five years. India produces about 1100 million kg of tea annually. During the pilot phase, the Trustea logo will not be used on consumer packaging. Implementation of the code will enable the tea industry to effectively face sustainability challenges, safeguard plantation environment, and ensure long term-security of supply, a release issued on the occasion of the launch said.