Vice-President urges tea sector to build Indian brands for global markets

Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan called on India’s tea industry to invest in research, factory modernisation, value addition and branding, with a focus on quality, productivity, competitiveness and plantation-worker welfare.

— Source publishedMon, 21 Sept, 2026, 18:09 IST·First seen Mon, 21 Sept, 2026, 18:12 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

Indian tea industry · Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan urged India’s tea industry to invest in research, factory modernisation, value addition and strong Indian

Key facts

  • 100 years

What changed

Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan urged India’s tea industry to invest in research, factory modernisation, value addition and strong Indian brands for domestic and global markets, while improving quality, productivity, competitiveness and plantation-worker welfare.

Why this matters

Tea operators should prioritize quality upgrades, modernized processing and branded value-added products to capture higher margins in domestic and export markets.

What to watch

  • Tea Board or central-government funding for modernization, branding, replanting, quality labs or export promotion.
  • New rules or enforcement on pesticide residues, traceability, sustainability certification and plantation-worker standards.
  • Growth in branded and value-added tea exports relative to bulk tea exports.
  • Auction-price spreads between premium/specialty teas and standard CTC grades.
  • Major domestic FMCG, beverage or e-commerce launches of Indian-origin premium tea brands.

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