One of the tea world's oldest research institutions has turned a hundred. The UPASI Tea Research Foundation, the research arm of the planters' association of southern India, marked its centenary with a conference in Coonoor, in the Nilgiris.
The headline message came from India's Vice-President, C.P. Radhakrishnan, who urged the sector to move away from bulk output and towards added value: stronger research, modernised factories, better quality and productivity and, above all, Indian tea brands with global recognition. In his view, India's standing in export markets depends on those steps taken together.
Conditions on the estates were also on the agenda, from production costs to healthcare infrastructure for plantation workers. For drinkers, the direction matters: more attention to origin, quality and traceability means a better cup, not simply more tonnes shipped.
Source: UNI India