KATHMANDU: Stating that the Nepali tea sector has plunged into a severe crisis, tea industrialists have announced an indefinite shutdown of all tea factories and plantations starting tomorrow, June 18.

The drastic step comes after Nepali tea exports to India ground to a halt due to the implementation of a new rule, the ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ (SOP), by the Tea Board of India.

According to Shukra Dahal, General Secretary of the Nepal Tea Producers Association, the annual turnover of CTC and Orthodox tea produced in Nepal stands at around Rs 12 billion to Rs 14 billion. Out of this, tea worth approximately Rs 5 billion is exported to India annually.

Organizing a press conference in Bhadrapur today, the Nepal Tea Producers Association, Jhapa, announced the closure of both tea industries and plantations from tomorrow.

Industrialists urged the government to look for alternatives, suggesting that Nepali tea could be exported to third countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. They requested immediate government intervention to facilitate trade with these nations.

The tea sector in Nepal provides employment to around 60,000 laborers and staff, while contributing approximately Rs 1 billion in annual revenue to the state.