Experts call for promotion of premium teas

China’s production and consumption of tea is thrice the quantity of India and most of it are premium teas, said Hariram Govind of Hindustan Unilever at the UPASI Tea Research Foundation’s centenary conference in Coonoor on Tuesday.

At a panel on “Sustainable Tea: Pathways for Future” moderated by S. Soundararajan, Director, Tea Development, Tea Board, Mr. Govind said that substantial tea consumption in China has moved from plainer to premium teas. Even the young generation are consuming tea, creating a market for the future.

In India, tea consumption’s market penetration is 90% and a person consumes three to four cups a day. So, the focus should be on increasing consumption of premium teas, he said.

Further, when the scale of sustainable and regenerative practices go up, it will become economically viable.