Kangra tea to receive European Geographical Indication status
Tea grown in India's northern Kangra district is to be awarded the coveted Geographical Indication status by the European Commission. Following a similar successful bid by growers of Darjeeling tea, the Kangra tea industry is next in line to benefit from the protected status, which is expected to open new markets for the crop and ensure better prices for growers. In a region where production has been falling in recent years due to high labor costs, the move is expected to infuse new life and encourage farmers to take up cultivation. There are currently 5,900 tea gardens spread over an area of 2312 hectares in the Kangra district. Annual production stands at around 900,000 kilograms, which is about half of what it was less than two decades ago.