Importance of International Tea Day Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Positive India:International Tea Day Special:
International Tea Day is observed annually on May 21, according to the United Nations. The concerning resolution was adopted on December 21, 2019.
An International Tea Day has been celebrated on December 15, since 2005, in tea producing countries like India, SriLanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania. International Tea Day aims to draw global attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers, and has been linked to requests for price supports and fair trade.
the first International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi in 2005 with later celebrations organized in Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2008.
NRI Chaiwala said May Month was chosen for celebration international tea day because May was selected as it’s the quality tea manufacturing season in most tea producing countries.
India is among the largest producers of tea in the world. The annual consumption is around 8,37,000 tones every year.

Indians sentiments are attached to Tea; debates and decisions about life can be made over a cup of tea. And there is no wonder why India is called a chai-loving nation.

Aside from water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. The primary types of tea include white, black, green, oolong, herbal, ann Tea is believed to have originated in China. There, drinkers used tea for medicinal reasons. In the 17th century, tea made its way to the UK.

Because of the large number of tea drinkers in the world, tea demands a massive production scale. Unfortunately, in many tea-producing countries, production comes with many challenges. Some of the obstacles tea-producing countries face include low wages for tea workers, lack of medical care for tea workers in rural areas, and a lack of clean and potable water on tea plantations. There is also a need for improved sanitation on tea plantations. Additionally, women make up 50 percent of the workforce on tea plantations. These women usually don’t have access to education.

NRI Chaiwala, jagdish Suggest events could be organized around International Tea Day to spread awareness of the goodness of tea with fresh quality tea produced in the month. In India the second flush, which is the best quality tea production period, starts from around 21st May,”
Tea production and processing contribute to the fight against hunger, reduction of extreme poverty, empowerment of women and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Tea consumption can bring health benefits and wellness, among others, said jagdish NRI Chaiwala which urged member countries to celebrate the day in an “appropriate manner” in accordance with each nation’s priorities, through education and activities aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of tea.
“Tea can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and ensuring food security in developing countries because of it being one of the most important cash crops,” quotes Jagdish NRI Chaiwala.

He also said, “How did you get Modi Ji as PM, if there was no tea. Chatting with friends would not be interesting if there was no tea. A day does not begins without a cup of tea. There was no quickness if there was no tea. The production of drugs to cure your headache would have increased if there was no tea,
There would have been no tea break if there was no tea. How would NRI Chaiwala been famed if there was no tea? A cup if tea is truly a blessing to your day!”

This is how we must celebrate the International Tea Day:

1)Create a display promoting a charity that supports educating girls who work in tea gardens. Some that do are: The Learning Tea, Save the Children India and Kindernothilfe.
2)Donate a percentage of May 21st sales to the National Health Mission of India’s mobile medical units that provide medical care to tea garden workers. Market this initiative throughout the day and let customers know they are supporting a good cause with their purchases.
3)Give a teabag to each customer with a fact about tea gardens attached to it, such as: “Did you know that tea workers in Darjeeling earn 100 Rupees per day?”
4)Create an in-store sign that shows the journey a tea leaf makes from seed to cup.
5)Highlight special tea tastings in honor of International Tea Day.

There are a lot of benefits of teas as well. Jagdish NRI Chaiwala shares some of the benefits with us:
No matter what the season, tea can be a tasty beverage since it can be served iced or hot.

1. Tea contains antioxidants.
2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee.
3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke
4. Tea may help with weight loss
5. Tea may help protect your bones
6. Tea may keep your smile bright
7. Tea may boost the immune system
8. Tea may help battle cancer
9. Herbal tea may soothe the digestive system
10. Tea — unadulterated, that is — is calorie free

Hospitality sector has been one of the worst-affected service sectors due to Covid-19 and is expected to take longer than expected time to recover.

As people would continue to avoid travel and crowded space in the post-lockdown days, the sector would see slow recovery.

“It is my suggestion and it is essential that all the hospitality entrepreneurs comes forward for collectively effort and work under some below guidelines if you want to survive and minimize the risk of sinking this boat. In order to ensure that visitors feel safe while eating out, hotels and restaurants are taking several measures to make them at ease.” jagdish says

“We are carrying out sensitivity training across our teams, and modified body language models to include maintaining a healthy distance, this could mean reducing the number of table”

“Only people from same family coming in group would be sharing the tables. Others would sit at a distance of about two meters which is going to be the norm post lockdown.”

Further, we will direct waiters to bring food but not serve at the tables.

“We are not letting our guests touch the doors and minimize the surface contact. We are not exposing crockery, cutlery or glass ware to reduce the chance of contamination. We are keeping it in safe cupboard and when required it will be brought and placed on the table.

Of course, all the tables are going to be cleaned with sanitizers and chlorinated water. Our entire cutlery is washed in dish-washers with effective soap solutions where water temperature is as high as 80 degree. When it comes to sanitization and cleaning we are taking utmost care,

Some important brief would like to suggest…

1.Diners would be greeted by waiters wearing gloves and masks
2.Customer hand will be sanitize on arrival
3.Two-meter table distance would be a norm in coming days
4.Microbiologist on board for swab tests of surfaces, kitchen and kitchen staff
5.Only families coming in a group will be sharing tables
6.Restaurants carrying out sensitivity training across teams

Impact of covid19 on Indian tea industry:

We indian are emotionally in touch with this industry as after the water chai is most consumable drink in india,
We start our day with chai, chai industry is most affected by covid19 said NRI CHAIWALA.
Tea is among the biggest and most labour-intensive industries in both West Bengal and Assam. Assam, which accounts for more than half of the country’s tea output, employs about one million people in the plantation sector and has about 800 gardens.
In West Bengal, 283 gardens, which are spread across the Darjeeling hills, the Terai and the Dooars, employ about 350,000 workers and another 100,000 work for 40,000 small tea growers in north Bengal.
Factories in tea garden across Assam and West Bengal are closed because of the lockdown and the plucking of leaves is suspended. The first flush — the first plucking of the harvest season, which occurs between March-April and accounts for the best quality tea and fetches high prices in international markets — has already taken a massive hit.
“Labour unions are demanding that we pay full wages to our workers for the lockdown. If the lockdown continues and the industry is not given any benefits, the industry will be further crippled.
GUWAHATI: Tea Association of India (TAI) stated that complete lockdown effective from the evening of March 24 last has impacted the tea industry seriously, the foremost being a grave liquidity crunch.

In a statement TAI added, “The lock down came close in heels at a time when the industry was gearing to begin the season after the closing of manufacture mandated by the Tea Board. The lock down which was effective till 31st march was further extended to 14th of April 2020”.
The three Assam based indigenous tea producers’ Associations – Assam Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA), North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) and Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP), have donated Rs 19 Lakhs to Assam Arogya Nidhi fund as support towards the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

Due to this skiffing operation, there will be crop loss in April and May. In Assam, in the month of April 2019, 6.3% of annual crop was harvested. Considering the fact that the plucking operations will start from 15th April and taking into account the crop loss due to skiffing, the total crop loss for the month of April would be about 30 million kgs”.

He added, “The skiffed areas would continue to lose crop in May until their full recovery. The crop of Assam in May 2019 was 9.3% of annual crop. The estimated crop loss for May would be about 20 million kgs. The total estimated crop loss of Assam tea industry due to lockdown is about 80 million kgs. As per the Tea Board of India official figures, the annual average price of tea of North India (which includes Assam) at the Indian auctions in 2019 was Rs 152.26 per kg. The total revenue loss of Assam tea industry due to lockdown = 80 million kgs × Rs 152.26 per kg = Rs 1,218 crore.”
Tea industry is highly labour intensive. Tea industry is one of the largest employers in the organised sector in India. About 50% of the total workforce are women. There is no tradition of laying-off workers in the 197 years old Assam tea industry, unlike other industries. “In view of this revenue loss of the already ailing tea industry, we solicit Government’s kind consideration in evolving measures to mitigate this revenue loss”.

Estimates suggested nearly 90 per cent of the produce from Dooars in West Bengal gone to waste owing to the lockdown, while in Darjeeling, 0.8 mkg of prime tea — incidentally one of the costliest tea — has been lost.
“Due to prolonged lockdown, about 35% leaves of our plantations will have to be skiffed leading to crop loss of 30 million kg in April and 20 million kg in May.The total crop loss will thus be 80 million kg.

Writer:NRI Chaiwala Jagdish.