The Hindu Business Line : Call to promote tea as health drink

REPRESENTATIVES of the tea industry from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India attending the four-week Commonwealth-sponsored programme for the Executives of the Commonwealth nations held in Coonoor under the aegis of the Plantation Management Academy (PMA) have underlined the need to promote "Tea as a health drink" across the globe to beat the open competition arising in the post-WTO era.

The delegates noted that although the global consumption was increasing every year, the production exceed the consumption by around 100 million kg. This volume had to be carried forward and the market first found for this to avoid a glut-induced price crash.

"But, we cannot ask people to drink tea just because we need money and remain in business. We should tell them that they should drink more cups of tea so as to remain healthy or for their own benefits. That is why we should focus on promoting tea as a health drink," the delegates agreed.

In this context, the session appreciated the recent advertisement released by the Tea Board jointly with the Indian Teas Association (ITA) in the newspapers highlighting the anti-oxidant properties of tea and urging people to drink to more cups of tea. "It is imperative that such generic promotion is carried out on a global level focussing on the major importing nations and the potential markets," the Commonwealth programme observed.

The delegates, including scientists from tea research institutes, pointed out that tea had the property of being regarded as a health drink. They quoted the results of their own research as also those from others including the Americans to say that tea reduced the risk of degenerated diseases or the diseases of civilisation, industrialisation or changes in life styles. These included cancer, blood pressure, heart ailments, oral health and dental, ortho or the bones, neuron, diabetics, immune system as also ageing processes.

A major outcome of the WTO-era is the imports raising in the producing nations. In India, for instance, tea imports in 2004 rose as much 200 per cent over the previous year — from less than 10 million kg to around 31 million kg. Although most of such imported teas were re-exported, the fact remains that stalling imports is a difficult proposition in the post-WTO era. So, instead of wasting time to go for stalling processes all through, the producing nations should join hands to raise the consumption by promoting tea as a health drink, the delegates opined.

Dr A.V.K. Iyengar, PMA Director, said delegates from Pakistan were also scheduled to participate but with the Indian Embassy busy issuing visa only to cricket fans, there was some delay in the tea delegates getting the visa.

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