Ministry of Commerce And Supplies - Enhanced Integrated ...

N T I S20105. TEAStrengths Very favourable climatic and geographical conditionsfor developing better quality and specialty product Code of conduct drawn up to achieve GAP/GMP andFair Trade practices Farmers cooperatives willing to work together Contribution to poverty alleviation Environmentally friendly Growing demand in global market Institutions are in place to support the sector Private sector driven with donor support Government grants and subsidies on land lease, plantmaterial, tools and machinery, loans at attractiveinterest rates Low labour costOpportunities New and rapidly expanding global market for organicgreen tea Large areas with young tea bushes and availability ofland for expansion and new planting Existence of new organically certified growing areasfor bio-organic tea Good brand image, including GI, could be established,especially in view of the deteriorating image ofDarjeeling (India) tea Support available for obtaining internationallyrecognized certification for new and existing factories World market prices are expected to riseWeaknesses Low yield of cultivation areas Poor quality chemicals (insecticides and pesticides),overuse, and incorrect application Lack of technical schools and weak research facilities No central auctioning system and inaccessibility ofNepalese tea to Indian auction markets Shortage of tea processing capacity with properstandards (Some factories and packing plants areunsuitable for tea processing and pose healthhazards) Scarcity of skilled personnel and expertise Inconsistent quality of product to meet buyers’demand Lack of facilities and standardized quantities toprepare large consignments for export High transportation costs Irregular supply of electricity Financing difficulty Delayed VAT refunds Inadequate market information Lack of well-equipped and accredited laboratories Lack of a national organic certification systemThreats Loss of credibility with major buyers due to poorperformance by exporters, including failure to meetrequirements of delivery samples Lack of human resources, especially in qualitycontrol and export marketing, contributing to loss ofcredibility Deteriorating infrastructure Very high dependence on Indian marketActions Improve transportation of green leaf from farm to factory by: a) constructing access roads totea plantation pockets; b) importing commercial vehicles suitable to the industry on duty-freebasis; c) introducing improved plucking bags to keep the leaf intact. Encourage establishment of new factories to increase domestic capacity for processing greenleaf. Improve quality control through measures such as farmers ensuring that their pluckers followthe practice of selective plucking and factories are very strict in their control of leaf intake andreject all unsuitable and damaged leaves at factory door. Increase vigilance on the indiscriminate use of chemicals and pesticides. Control import ofinferior quality inputs (substandard and banned products). The NTCDB must develop a scheme to register all tea farmers and processors, however smalltheir operation. Undertake regular inspections of premises so that inferior, substandard, andpolluted products are not sent to market whether export or domestic.274NEPAL TRADE INTEGRATION STRATEGY 2010BACKGROUND REPORT