Even though winter is still far away, the Tea Board of India has already revealed the official dates for harvesting and preparing tea in 2024.

This notification was issued well in advance to give tea gardens and factories enough time to plan accordingly, a senior Tea Board official said today.

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Such a decision was made during the Board’s 237th meeting on 29 September, 2018.

Failure to comply with this order may result in necessary action being taken, as per Clause 5 (a) (d) of the Tea (Marketing Control Order 2003), the order said.

In Sikkim, Darjeeling Hills, and Terai Dooars region, the last date for plucking and receiving is set for 30 November 2024. The processing of green leaf at all factories must be completed by 2nd December. All tea manufacturing units must inform the Tea Board about their closure by 3 December, and sorting, gapping, packing (CTC and Orthodox/Green teas), and moving packed teas to designated storage areas with invoice marking must be completed by 13 December for CTC and 18 December for orthodox and green teas.

The Tea Board also mentioned that tea gardens that have adopted different pruning or cultivation methods and expect early crops, as well as manufacturers of orthodox, green, and specialty teas, may request exemptions from the Board’s respective office.

Therefore, this order was issued well in advance to allow adequate time for planning. Officers not below the rank of assistant director of Tea Development are authorized to grant exemptions after conducting field verification and informing the head office of the Board.

When considering exemptions, officers must consider pruning practices, availability of irrigation facilities, early rains that may cause early flushing and flushing patterns with valid reasons for delays in sorting tea.

Any requests for exemptions will be processed within five working days from receipt, the order said.