Soon, Chinese technology can drive India's tea estates
Industry officials opine that it is primarily on account of Indian plantations being labor-intensive while China has an advanced level of mechanization The Indian Tea Association (ITA) has signed an agreement with China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA) to nearly double Indian tea exports to China to 15 million kg (mkg) next year as well as learn cost-effective production techniques from its largest Asian neighbor. Besides joint promotions of its tea across key European markets and sustainability goals, the agreement allows Indian tea producers to understand the mechanization of gardens while maintaining quality. China produces 2609 mkg of tea annually across its 0.28 million hectares cultivable area. Most of these gardens are highly mechanized. On the other hand, in India, 0.57 million hectares are under tea cultivation while production stands at around 1300 mkg – half to what China produces. Industry officials opine that it is primarily on account of Indian pl...