Rainforest Alliance (RA), the international organisation that works to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable agricultural practices, would like to step up its footprint in India.
“We would like to be more active in India’s domestic tea marketing,” Joke Aerts, Manager, South Asia, RA, told Business Line here recently. “A beginning has been made with Goodricke and we’re looking for more such opportunities.”
When contacted, Arun Singh, CEO of Goodricke, confirmed that the arrangement with RA presupposed certification for Darjeeling tea to be sold in packets in the domestic market with the RA logo. “We’ve already launched it,” Singh said, pointing out that the company’s five gardens in Darjeeling produced about 7,50,00 kg of tea annually, of which approximately 100,000 kg was for the domestic market. RA certification had been in use for production of Darjeeling tea, including organic tea, for the past couple of years; it was now being extended to domestic marketing of tea, he said.
Globally, Joke pointed out, RA certification was in force for international brands such as Tetley, Lipton, Yorkshire Tea and Typhoo. In India, RA’s presence in the tea sector dated back to 2008. “In tea, RA certification is being used by 396 gardens under 25 plantation companies, covering 38,000 hectares in Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiris (not Dooars) and producing 62,000 tonnes annually, mostly for export,” she said, adding that RA certification in India was also being used in coffee and spices. “We would like to diversify into fruits, mango, to start with.”
RA is a member of SAN (Sustainable Agriculture Network), a coalition of non-profit rural development groups that promotes efficient agriculture biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development. RA is also the owner of the RAC (Rainforest Alliance Certification) seal and controls the use of the seal worldwide. “In India, we also work in partnership with a Mysore-based NGO,” she said.
Joke conceded that there were challenges in observing norms to be eligible for RA certification but the benefits of it in the long run would be substantial. “In India, the biggest task is to make people realise that the short-term challenges are worth taking for reaping much larger benefits in the long run,” she added.