File photo: A tea garden | Photo Credit: Jomon Pampavelly
The Federation of Indian Tea Manufacturers Association (FITMA) is holding its national conference on January 29 at the Coonoor Tea Trade Association in the Nilgiris. The event will bring together tea producers from Assam, North Bengal and Nilgiris on a common platform to deliberate on the current challenges and future roadmap of Indian tea.
The conclave aims to promote dialogue among stakeholders and work constructively with the Tea Board to strengthen the policy framework, improve quality and compliance standards and ensure sustainable and inclusive growth of the tea ecosystem.
The main focus of the conclave is FITMA’s flagship initiative “Mission 1K”, which aims to increase India’s per capita domestic tea consumption from the current 860 grams to 1,000 grams. Through this initiative, FITMA seeks to promote tea as a healthy, affordable and culturally rooted beverage in every Indian household, while strengthening the national brand image of Indian tea, a press release said.
The conclave will also emphasize the importance of close institutional engagement in policy making. FITMA advocates representation of its members from the three regions – Assam, North Bengal and Nilgiris – as special invitees in Tea Board meetings and key committees, ensuring that regional and sector-level perspectives contribute meaningfully to policy making.
FITMA is a registered national federation and represents more than 650 broad leaf tea manufacturers, who together produce more than 600 million kilograms of tea annually, which is about 50 percent of India’s total tea production.
The Federation has been formed by its founding associations – Assam Bot Leaf Tea Manufacturers Association, North Bengal Tea Producers Welfare Association and Nilgiri Bot Leaf Tea Manufacturers Association – to provide an integrated national platform for the Bot Leaf Tea sector.
Published on January 27, 2026
