Nepal Tea - Present

Present

Today, Nepal’s tea industry is dominated by private players with the first private orthodox factory, Maloom Tea Estate being established in 1993, whereas in the 1980s the tea industry was a Government monopoly prior to the liberalization of the tea industry. Until 2000, Nepal tea exports accounted for only about 100 – 150 tons per annum. However, due to the liberalization adopted about a decade ago, the Nepal tea industry witnessed an exponential rise in tea exports, accounting for almost 4,000 – 5,000 tons per annum.

At present, Nepal produces approximately 16.29 million kilograms of tea per annum on an area of 16,718 hectares. It accounts for only 0.4% of the total world tea output. The main tea producing regions in Nepal are Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Terhathum with newly involved regions being Kaski, Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Solu and Nuwakot, with a goal of increasing the total tea production in Nepal. Nepal tea is mainly exported to India, Pakistan, Germany, France, Holland, Japan, Belgium and the United States of America.

Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA), the association of orthodox tea producers of Nepal, realizing the potential of the Nepalese orthodox tea in the global market, has been adopting various measures to improve the quality and marketing of orthodox tea. In 2003, Himalayan Tea Producers Co-operative Limited (HIMCOOP), the marketing wing of the Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA), was set up to assist in the marketing of Nepal tea. Similarly, in 2006, the Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA) implemented the Code of Conduct. The main objective of the Code of Conduct was to increase the standards of Nepalese orthodox tea to an international level. The main principles of the Code of Conduct are:-

1. Respect towards nature
2. Respect towards human
3. Respect towards production system
4. Respect towards towards quality