3/11/2015 IndiaandIrantojointlyreviewpesticideresiduelevelsinteasTheHindu

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IndiaandIrantojointlyreviewpesticideresiduelevelsinteas

IndraniDutta

IndiaandIranwilltogetherreviewtheissueofmaximumresiduelevels(MRL)ofpesticidesinteasinordertoincreaseIndiasexportsofthecommoditytothehighvaluemarket.Duringthevisitofanofficialdelegation,itwasdecidedthatajointtechnicalgroupwouldreviewthisissue,atatimewhenIranianimportersareseekingincreasedleveloforthodoxteaexportsfromIndia,withanassuranceontheMRLfront.Theywantmoreofourorthodoxteas,amemberofthedelegation,whichreturnedlastmonth,toldTheHindu.The18memberdelegationwasledbytheadditionalsecretary,commerce,andcomprisedmembersoftheexportingcommunity,officialsofTeaBoard,IndianTeaAssociationandresearchscientistsfromtheTeaBoardandtheTeaResearchAssociation.OrthodoxteasaremadeinthesamewayascrushtearandcurlCTCteas,butwithmostoftheleafremainingintact,theyaresubtlyflavourfulandarethebeverageofchoiceofdiscerningteadrinkerstheworldover.Theyalsofetchbetterprices.DetaileddiscussionswereheldontheMRLissueandtheneedtoalignthepesticidesinuseinIndiaandIrancametolight.TheIndianteampointedoutthattheIndianteaswereacceptedworldwide.Iranisanestimated100millionkgmarketwhichismostlyservicedbySriLanka.Iranalsoproducessometea.IndiaspresencewasmutedinviewoftheearlierU.S.sanctionsonIran,whichledtopaymentproblems.ThisproblemwascircumventedbyenteringintoanarrangementofsettingoffIndianexporterspaymentsthroughthecitybasedUCOBankagainstoilimports.OpportunitiesincreasedwiththeU.S.reviewingitsearlierrigidposition.Buoyedbythesedevelopments,in2012,a30millionkgexporttargetwasset.However,afterpeakingat23.1millionkgin2013,exportsplummetedto18millionkgin2014.AfourmemberIraniandelegationhadvisitedIndiainOctober,2014todiscusstheseissues.IndiaearnedRs.479.40croreswithaunitpriceofRs.265akg.Thepricewasamongthehighestcommandedintheexportsmarketin2014.Accordingtoofficialstatistics,IndianteaexportsfellbetweenJanuaryNovember,2014.ThiswasduetolossofAssamorthodoxteaproduction(byalmost20millionkg)inthewakeofdelayedrains,andlowerdemandinthehighvaluemarketssuchastheU.S.,IranandRussia.AvailabilityoflowerpricesofteasfromAfricaat$2akg.intheinternationalmarketanddecreaseindemandfromBangladeshduetoreimpositionoftarifffromApril,2014alsocontributedtothedecline.Indiarankssecondinworldproductionofteaandfourthintheworldmarketasteaexportingcountry.Iranisanestimated100millionkgmarket,whichismostlyservicedbySriLanka.

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