Tea Board stirs blockchain tech to preserve quality, protect identity
To boost consumption in this country, the Tea Board of India has decided to i mplement complete traceability, from the plantation stage till the time it is sold to the final buyer, preferably via blockchain technology.
It says this will help eliminate adulteration, improve consumer satisfaction, and preser ve the identity of Indian tea, all in turn boosting consumption.
It has issued invitations for an expression of interest, for design, development, and commissioning of end-to-end technology to ensure traceability of the entire value chain in the trade. The consultancy firm to be selected via the tender will study available technologies and propose a combination of the latest and emerging technologies, preferably blockchain, and mobile applications for integrating the existing systems.
The aim is to capture the entire supply chain detail, from procurement of raw material by manufacturers to disposal of made teas to primary buyers through auction. This will also bring the industry into the digital economy. And, help i n quick resolution on quality of tea and other issues when highlighted by consumers, through digitised applications.
Vivek G oenka, chairman at the Indian Tea Association, says: “It is good for the industry if traceability can actually be implemented. Not only will conTea Board floats EOI to select a consultancy firm to track complete traceability, preferably using blockchain The consultancy firm will also put in place a fenced electronic system to integrate existing and new technologies
sumers know the origin of the tea, like from which garden and region, but adulteration, if any, can also be tracked.”
Since blockchain technology will capture the data at each stage of production, it will be easy to make out at what stage of the production process the tea was adulterated or underwent a fall in qualThe need arose primarily because of widespread adulteration of tea and unscrupulous imports Consumers will be able to know the exact origin of their cuppa Traceability will help detect and eliminate adulteration
ity. At times, the board says, tea offered in the auctions or sold privately contains extraneous colours, to impart glossiness and hide defects. Black teas are usually treated with Plumbago, used in lead pencils. Prussian Blue, a toxic substance, is also used to colour tea in some cases. Other substances are also used.
Sources among planters say around 1.5 million kg (mkg) of tea from Nepal enters India annually and is passed on to consumers as Darjeeling tea, for which buyers are willing to pay a premium.
According to the Darjeeling Tea Association, Nepal tea is actually much cheaper, with no quality certification. On the other hand, Darjeeling is not only one of the costliest of all teas in the world but has various quality certifications and is protected with a Geographical Indication tag.
Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association, said: “Traceability will also make it clear from where sub-standard teas are being manufactured or procured. And, it will help stop haemorrhaging prices.”