The Hindu Business Line : Southern tea competition receives 250 entries

FOR the first ever Golden Leaf India awards: Southern Tea Competition 2005, aimed at showcasing the different agro-climatic origins of South Indian teas, each with a distinctive quality attribute, over 250 entries have been received by the United Planters Association of Southern India (Upasi).

The competition, organised jointly by the Tea Board and Upasi next month, is open for black orthodox and CTC teas, organic (both orthodox and CTC) teas and green teas.

Besides, under orthodox and CTC, there would be separate awards for brokens, fannings and dust and for whole leaf in former category, Mr R. Sanjith, Deputy Secretary, Organising Committee told Business Line.

The competition, he said, sought to unfold the hidden vistas of quality characteristics of South Indian tea, from being one that fits into a mass market category to a position of exclusivity where it has strived hard to belong to. Apart from positioning the quality of the product per se, the competition would also attempt to portray the quality of social and natural capital that forms the edifice of this important agro industry, he said.

Selection of best teas from various agro-climatic regions would be based on a multi-layer screening process using a scoring system that will capture the various quality attributes of tea in an objective manner. A panel of national and international jury comprising eminent experts in the field would be involved in the screening and selection of teas.

The scoring methodology is designed in such a way that only teas that can be internationally benchmarked can win the competition.

Competing teas will also be screened for food quality and residue parameters. The scoring system and process would be subject to an independent audit, he said adding, "the scoring methodology adopted will eventually become an industry practice for evaluating South India teas".

After the first and second round of screening including technical analysis, scheduled to be completed by September 15, final round of screening would be held at Upasi, Coonoor, on September 18. The awards would be presented on September 19, at the Annual General Body Meeting of the Association, he said.

Mr Anil Kumar Bhandari, President, UPASI, said after such quality competitions were conducted for the coffee industry, such coffees fetched 50 to 100 per cent more prices than others. A similar scenario could emerge in the case of tea also after the Southern Tea Competition, which the Upasi is planning to hold as an annual feature.

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