The National Conference on ‘Safe Tea Production: Policy, Compliance and Sustainable Practices’ was organised to
advance dialogue on strengthening food safety, regulatory compliance and sustainability within India’s tea sector.
The conference brought together policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and grower organisations to
deliberate on bridging the gap between policy frameworks and field-level practices.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of
India, for his valuable insights and continued support towards strengthening India’s tea sector and enhancing its
global competitiveness.
Our sincere thanks to Tata Consumer Products Limited for their support in enabling stakeholder consultations for this
conference and for connecting the Sankala team to key subject matter experts.
We specially thank Mr Bharat Lal, Secretary General and CEO, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, for
his insightful address highlighting the broader developmental significance of sustainable and responsible agricultural
production systems.
We are thankful to Mr Rajit Punhani, Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), for
his support for the conference. Our special thanks are due to Mr Nitin Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary, Ministry
of Commerce and Industry and Chairman, Tea Board of India, for valuable perspectives on policy alignment and
institutional coordination in the tea sector.