United Nations, May 22: The aromas and flavors of popular Indian teas permeated the halls of the United Nations headquarters as India hosted a special event to commemorate International Tea Day to highlight the beverage’s contribution in empowering communities and fostering inclusive economic growth.
The Permanent Mission of India to the UN hosted the high-level event Wednesday on the theme ‘Tea for Livelihoods, Tea for SDGs’ to mark the International Tea Day, a celebration of the world’s most consumed drink, after water.
The event concluded with a special curated tea tasting experience where guests enjoyed a variety of Indian teas, including the famous Darjeeling tea, Masala chai, Assam and Nilgiri teas.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Director of the FAO UN Liaison Office in New York Angelica Jacome, and representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka and China, the other major tea producing countries, spoke on the occasion and highlighted the challenges faced by the tea growers, especially the small tea farmers.
“The story of tea in India is not merely one of trade and taste but also one of transformation. What began in the early 19th century from the misty hills of Assam to the slopes of Darjeeling and Nilgiris, India’s tea industry has grown to become a cornerstone of rural employment, women’s empowerment and export-led development,” Harish said at the houseful event attended by UN envoys, senior UN personnel and community members.
The UN General Assembly had in 2019 proclaimed May 21 as International Tea Day following a proposal moved by India at the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea in October 2015.
The UNGA resolution recognised the long history and the cultural and economic significance of tea around the world, as well as the significant role it plays in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries.
India is one of the largest producers and consumers of tea globally and the sector directly employs over 1.5 million workers, the majority of whom are women. It supports over 10 million livelihoods, including small landholder farmers and those engaged in allied industries.
“For many of these communities, tea is not merely a crop. It’s a way of life, a source of dignity, opportunity and hope,” Harish said.
He also pointed out the complex challenges faced by the tea industry. “Climate change is disrupting growing conditions and then, there are rising input costs,” Harish said, adding that market volatility and structural inequities threaten the economic viability of small producers who are responsible for over 60 per cent of global tea production.
“There’s also an urgent need to improve working conditions and secure equitable returns, both for labourers and growers. Addressing these challenges requires not only policy action, but innovation and ability to think out of the box,” he said.
Harish told the audience that the 1911-founded Tocklai Tea Research Institute in India has introduced the Tocklai good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices standard in 2022, the first ever sustainability certification crafted and adopted in India to usher in a climate resilient tea industry.
“It integrates good economic, agricultural practices and manufacturing practices and aligns the process with UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) for transformational change in the Indian tea industry,” he said.
Harish added that in India, technology – from AI-driven climate forecasting to drone-based crop management to blockchain — is also being harnessed increasingly to modernise the tea sector and the entire value chain.
FAO’s Jacome noted that despite tea’s vital role in socioeconomic development, there are pressing challenges that must be addressed. These include climate change, limited market access and poor access to credit and technology, she said.
“Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the industry, and they’re particularly vulnerable. Urgent actions are needed to strengthen their business models while also taking into account environmental and social factors,” she said.
Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hoang Giang Dang said that in order to truly harness tea’s potential for sustainable development, “we must invest in smallholder resilience, promote inclusive business models, create favorable conditions for labour and ensure environmental sustainability across value chains.”
Vithanage Chatura Jeevake Perera, Charge d’Affaires of Sri Lanka, said it is imperative to acknowledge women’s contribution in Sri Lanka’s tea industry as it “could be identified as one of Sri Lanka’s prominent production segments, with a higher percentage of women being employed.”
It is estimated that in the four major tea producing countries – India, China, Kenya and Sri Lanka – around 9 million tea farmers are smallholders.
Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Erastus Ekitela Lokaale said as climate change increasingly disrupts traditional agricultural systems, the resilience of Kenya’s tea sector is also being tested.
“In response, the Kenyan tea sector is progressively integrating climate-smart farming, enhanced agroforestry and community-based land use models. These innovations are vital to ensuring sustainability whilst safeguarding our natural resources.”
He added that at the global level, Kenya “welcomes ongoing efforts to promote fair trade, equitable pricing and mutual learning among tea producing countries, and this is clearly happening here today,” referring to the event hosted by India.
Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of China to the UN Liu Liquin said tea can be a bond between different cultures and civilisations. “We believe that tea and, together with it, the cultural exchanges, could be very good catalyst for people to people exchanges and the peaceful coexistence among different states.”
He said China is dedicated to working with other fellow member states to make full use of the tea industry and relevant opportunities to “boost this kind of mutual understanding”, to strengthen international partnership and accelerate implementation of SDGs.
Later in the day, China also hosted an event at the UN HQ to commemorate the day. (PTI)
