European GI tag for Kangra tea likely

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 6

Kangra tea is likely to be awarded the Geographical Indication Tag (GI tag) for the European Union, a spokesperson of the Agriculture Department said here today.

He said that the subject of Tea Cultivation and Development was transferred from the Industries Department to the Agriculture Department in April, 1999. Since then, various steps have been taken to improve tea cultivation in the state, particularly in Kangra.

Kangra Tea was accorded the GI tag in India in 2005.

The spokesperson said that at present, the development and cultivation of Kangra Tea is being promoted and looked after by four departments, namely Tea Board of India Regional office Palampur, cooperative & agriculture departments of the state, CSIR, IHBT Palampur and Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur.

He said that more than one lakh plants were provided to tea growers in the financial year 2021-22 and an area of 5.6 hectares was brought under fresh plantation. The department is providing the tea plants to growers both for the existing gardens and also for fresh plantations.

The department is also organising the awareness programmes to impart the latest technical know-how being developed by the research institutes in the field of tea cultivation.

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