Kathmandu: Tea Board India has revised its testing rules for imported tea, easing restrictions that had effectively halted Nepali tea exports to India for the past 20 days.
The new directive, issued on May 19, 2026, under a second corrigendum, modifies earlier rules introduced by the board under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The previous regulations, which came into force on May 1, had imposed mandatory laboratory testing on all imported tea consignments, causing severe disruption to Nepal’s tea exports.
As a result of the revised provisions, exports from Nepal to India are now expected to resume smoothly.
Under the amended rules, all tea imported into India for re-export to third countries will still undergo mandatory quality testing through Tea Board India, in line with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on February 10.
However, tea imported solely for sale within the Indian domestic market will now be handled differently. According to the revised second and third clauses, customs authorities and India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will continue sample-based inspections through their own risk management systems, while Tea Board India will temporarily refrain from conducting separate testing for such imports.
The revised arrangement will remain in place until FSSAI issues additional clarification or formal instructions.
According to Kamal Mainali, president of the Nepal Tea Association, the updated provisions have effectively removed the barriers affecting Nepali tea exports.
“Under the revised second and third clauses, Nepali tea exports to the Indian market will no longer face obstacles,” Mainali said. “Exports can now continue normally.”
The revised directive also amends Clause 11 of the SOP, requiring laboratories to upload test reports within five days of receiving samples, significantly shortening processing delays.
Tea Board India said the changes were introduced following a joint meeting held on May 12 among FSSAI, the Indian Customs Department, Tea Board India, and India’s commerce authorities.
India had introduced the stricter rules from May 1, requiring mandatory laboratory testing for every truck and every consignment of tea entering the country from Nepal. Previously, sampling had only been conducted occasionally or selectively.
The new requirements had forced importers to submit detailed information in advance through the Tea Council portal, including shipment schedules, warehouse locations, container details, and proforma invoices before receiving provisional clearance certificates.
Once tea shipments reached border checkpoints, Tea Board India officials were required to collect two 500-gram samples from each consignment. Importers had to pay Rs 11,120 per sample — roughly Rs 17,800 — plus additional GST charges, sharply increasing export costs.
The rules also required tea consignments to remain stored in designated warehouses until laboratory reports were issued, a process that could take between 14 and 20 days. During that period, the tea could neither be sold nor re-exported.
If a consignment failed quality testing, importers were allowed to request a second laboratory test by paying an additional Rs 15,000. If the tea failed a second time, it would either have to be destroyed or returned to Nepal.
India had also tightened rules for re-exported tea, requiring shipments imported from Nepal and later exported to third countries to leave India within six months and contain at least 50 percent value addition before re-export.
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