Darjeeling Tea protection by Government

The government spends over Rs 60 lakh per annum on legal requirements to protect the `Darjeeling’ tea brand globally, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

This amount is spent to protect the word `Darjeeling’ and the logo of the tea produced from that area, minister of state for commerce Jyotiraditya Scindia told the House in a written reply.

The government has done pioneering work for the protection of Darjeeling tea, which has been registered as a geographical indication, he said. The tea, produced in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal, was the first product to be registered in the country under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Geographical indication is a sign used on goods that have a specific area origin and possess qualities, reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that region. Geographical indication aims at preventing non-Darjeeling tea from being passed off as Darjeeling tea.

About the promotion of the premium tea, Scindia said the government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 5.68 crore in the 11th Plan to upgrade the Darjeeling Tea Research and Development Center as a Center of Excellence.