Vice-President calls for modernising tea industry, strengthening research and building Indian tea brands for global markets

The Vice-President of India inaugurated the Centenary Conference of the UPASI Tea Research Foundation in Coonoor, The Nilgiris. He emphasized modernising the tea industry, strengthening research, improving cost-effectiveness, quality, and productivity, and developing strong Indian tea brands for global markets. Highlighting that India is among the world's largest tea-producing and tea-consuming countries, he urged stakeholders to move beyond bulk tea, focus on value addition, modernise factories, and work closely with Central and State Governments. He also stressed that industry welfare and plantation workers' welfare must go hand in hand.