The Tea Board on August 24, 2026, has directed all Darjeeling tea manufacturers to strictly comply with existing requirements for sourcing green leaf within the area demarcated under the Darjeeling Geographical Indication (GI). Manufacturers are prohibited from purchasing green leaf from outside the Darjeeling GI area, including sourcing from temporarily closed units without proper documentation.
Manufacturers sourcing green leaf from within the GI area must upload sourcing details on the Darjeeling tea traceability portal and submit an undertaking on ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper to the IPR Cell of the Tea Board, Kolkata by August 31, 2026.
Compliance Impact: Manufacturers must maintain proper records and ensure that all green leaf procurement is traceable and sourced exclusively from the notified Darjeeling GI area. Non-compliance may result in disruption of issuance of the Certificate of Origin by the Tea Board.
[Notification No. LEGAL-MISCOCOMM/14/2026-LegalCell]
