Archive · 1 Dec 2025
Over half of Nepal tea samples fail Indian safety norms
More than half of the Nepal tea samples tested by Indian authorities did not meet the safety standards set by India's food regulator.
Out of 43 samples, 22 failed the tests, and a total of 27,570 kilograms of tea were destroyed.
Nepal exports a lot of tea to India, about 15.95 million kg in the last fiscal year.
The Indian tea industry wants stricter checks on Nepalese tea because it is cheaper and can affect the prices of Indian tea.
The government has set up special checks at three land ports, but there are concerns that not all tea is being tested properly.
Some people in the tea industry think more samples should be tested to ensure safety and fairness.
Over 50% of Nepal tea samples tested by Indian authorities failed to meet FSSAI safety norms.
22 out of 43 samples failed, leading to the destruction of 27,570 kilograms of tea.
Nepal exported 15.95 million kg of tea to India in FY25.
Indian tea producers argue for stricter compliance checks on Nepalese tea imports.
Customs officials are responsible for testing and clearing Nepal tea consignments.
- Who
- Indian authorities and Nepalese tea exporters
- What
- Over half of Nepal tea samples failed Indian safety norms
- When
- Fiscal Year 2025
- Where
- India, with tea imports from Nepal
- Why
- To ensure compliance with Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) parameters
- Total Samples Tested
- 43
- Failed Samples
- 22
- Total Tea Destroyed
- 27,570 kilograms
- Nepal Tea Exports to India (FY25)
- 15.95 million kg
- Land Ports for Tea Import
- Jogbani, Raxaul, Panitanki
- Percentage of Imports through Panitanki
- 92%
- Failed Samples from Jogbani (FY22-24)
- 3
- Failed Samples from Panitanki (FY22-24)
- 0