GUWAHATI, Aug 18 � The North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) has urged Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to declare tea as the State Drink of Assam and take up with the Central Government the issue of recognising the beverage as the National Drink of India.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister last evening, a NETA delegation told the Chief Minister that historically, Assam is the second commercial tea production region next to Southern China. Southern China and Assam are the only two regions in the world with native tea plants.
Besides being a major support system for the State�s economy, tea is also a way of life for the State�s people. In Assam, tea is a culture steeped in history. This history is replete with the events of development, economic growth and social progress, the NETA memorandum said.
Moreover, tea is perhaps the only industry in which Assam has been able to retain its leadership for the past about two centuries.
Till 2005, India was the largest tea producing country and now, it is the second largest tea producing country in the world. The country is the fourth largest exporter of tea in the world. The share of the country in global tea export is about 12 per cent. It dominated the world tea market as the largest tea exporting country till 1989.
Over 50 per cent of the total tea produced in the country comes from Assam. And thus, the State makes a contribution of 13 per cent to the total amount of tea produced the world over. India contributes 25 per cent to the total global tea production.
If tea is granted the status of the State as well as the National Drink in Assam and India respectively, it would provide a major impetus to the brand building exercise of Indian tea. It will bolster the marketing prospects of the Assam and Indian tea as well.
Since tea is now accepted as a health drink, this fact, coupled with the State and National Drink tags, would also attract the large chunk of the country�s youths towards this health drink. With the State and the National Drink tags to tea, its domestic consumption is likely to soar.
In Assam, over 3,50,000 hectares are under tea cultivation and with the tea bushes and the shade trees, the tea industry is helping in maintaining the ecological balance.
The State and National Drink recognition will strengthen the emotional attachment of the people of the country with this beverage. This will finally bring more prestige to the State, from where the march of the Indian tea industry started.
The very announcement of the State Government for recognising tea as the State Drink is going to be an epoch-making event in the annals of the State and the date of this announcement is certain to become a red letter day for the State�s people, said the NETA memorandum.
Meanwhile, the ATPA and the Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP) have extended their full support to the NETA on the issue and from now onwards, the joint forum of ATPA, NETA and BCP will take the issue forward, said NETA chairman Bidyananda Barkakoty.
The NETA memorandum also provided a list of the national drinks of many countries. It also said that a National Drink is an integral part of a nation�s identity, self-image, history, ecology and culture.
