Tea factories in Ilam that had been shut down due to Indian obstructions are set to resume operations.
The Suryodaya Orthodox Tea Producers Association Nepal announced its decision to reopen the factories, citing assurances from the government and local authorities that positive steps would be taken to address the problems facing the sector.
Tea producers had earlier decided to halt production, alleging that Indian authorities were collecting samples from every truck carrying processed Nepali tea for laboratory testing and then delaying the release of test reports for an extended period.
Tea factories in Ilam had remained closed since June 15, citing a large stockpile of processed tea in warehouses both in Kolkata and Nepal. Factories in Jhapa were closed on June 18, and have yet to reopen.
The shutdown of tea factories had directly affected thousands of tea farmers, workers, industrialists, and traders dependent on the industry.
Following the closure of tea factories and plantations, industry representatives held discussions with the Prime Minister's Office, relevant ministries, ministers, secretaries, experts, and other stakeholders to resolve the crisis. As a result, the government has formed a high-level task force to address the existing problems in the tea sector.
"Considering the repeated discussions held with the high-level task force and stakeholder bodies, our commitment to producing quality tea, the special request of the high-level committee tasked with finding long-term solutions, and the problems faced by farmers, we have decided to resume factory operations from June 26," said Gyani Limbu, vice-president of the Suryodaya Orthodox Tea Producers Association.
