Global tea producers’ forum on the anvil

Monday, 21 January 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

KOLKATA: A move is afoot to constitute International Tea Producers’ Forum with participation of tea producing countries. The move has been initiated by Mahindra Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Plantation Industries.

A meeting is being held in Colombo next week to give a concrete shape to the forum the proposal for which was earlier discussed but with little headway so far, it is learnt. This time Sri Lanka is believed to be serious about formation of the forum at the earliest.

A total of eight countries, representing more than 80 per cent of the global tea production, have so far given their consent on participation at the meeting. The countries are India, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Indonesia and Vietnam.

India is sending a 15-member delegation to Colombo. It will be led by D. Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for Commerce. Among other members are J.S. Deepak, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Chairman of the Tea Board, Chairman of the Indian Tea Association, President of Upasi (United Planters’ Association of South India), Chairman of the Assam Tea Planters’ Association and Chairman of the North East Tea Association.

The forum, when constituted, will focus on issues of common interests facing the tea producers all over the world such as production, quality, better price realisation, generic promotion of tea, health benefits of tea, exchange of information and collection and exchange of statistics and research.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.