The tea industry in the South is planning to send auction samples to the Pakistan Tea Association office in Karachi every month.
This follows a request by Mr Mohammad Hanif Janoo, Chairman of the Pakistan Tea Association, during his visit to Coonoor and Coimbatore with 11 members of his association last week.
The arrangement will be similar to the one that existed in the 1980s with Egypt. The arrangement, which was discontinued after the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa decided to promote Kenyan tea, made a significant impact on good liquoring CTC (crushed, tear and curl) dust teas at Kochi auctions.
The tea trade in the South in keen to get on with the arrangement that is likely to be worked out by the United Planters' Association of Southern India in consultation with the Tea Board.
Samples
If such an arrangement is worked out, then the tea trade will send samples from individual estates to the Pakistan Tea Association. In turn, the association will ask its members, including those from Lahore and Peshawar, to view the samples and take a decision on purchases.
The issue of sending samples cropped up after the Pakistan delegation was impressed with the samples displayed at the tea tasting session at Coimbatore. The delegation told the organisers that they had not attended such a tasting session at any convention.
A visit to Monica tea factory of Tea Estates India Ltd-Woodbriar Group at Anamalais in Coimbatore district encouraged the Pakistan team to seek ‘straight line auction' teas. Monica tea factory's commands a premium at Kochi auctions.
Exploring market
According to trade sources, the Pakistan team's visit has provided an opportunity to the Indian industry to explore the quality tea market in the neighbouring country.
The delegation, while expressing concern over the standard of teas being exported from South India, shared equal responsibility in accepting such consignments.
The members said that such teas were meant for a particular segment and not for their actual market.
The south Indian industry was told that Kenya teas, bought at around $3.20 to $4.20 a kg, were ‘straight line' teas for quality conscious consumers in Pakistan.
The Pakistan delegation has also extended an invitation to the Indian industry to visit the country. A visit to Pakistan by an Indian delegation is likely in the second half of this year.
Sources said that Mr Janoo commanded great respect from his peers, while the delegation itself was seen as having come on a mission to buy quality teas.
The Pakistan team's visit has, in fact, left the Indian industry, particularly the South, confident of achieving 50 million kg exports by 2015.