Improve quality of tea to keep pace with global market, says Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishanan

India's Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan urged the United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) to intensify research efforts for enhancing the quality and affordability of tea at the UPASI Tea Research Foundation (TRF) centenary conference in Coonoor. Emphasizing the growing global competition, Radhakrishnan highlighted Sri Lanka's increasing challenge in the international tea market and stressed the need for innovative solutions to boost tea and plantation revenues.

He believed that leveraging the 100 years of expertise in tea research can help achieve this goal, calling for the identification of professionals to lead the research initiatives. Radhakrishnan also sought assistance from the Central and State governments to modernize tea processing equipment and educate plantation managers to increase market prices.

C. Murugan, Deputy Chairman of the Tea Board of India, echoed the importance of sharing the prosperity of the tea industry with the estate workers and growers, emphasizing the need for a thriving, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable tea sector.