Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491365
STiR tea & coffee industry international 19 Catapult RB14.01 Darjeeling, and the Southwest monsoon arrived late in the north so it is going to take the bushes quite some time to recover from these dry conditions. The lower elevation Darjeeling gardens are vulnerable to pests that conventional estates control by spraying pesticides, etc., "we have practically no solution for organic farms," said Kichlu. Tea gardens in Assam have suffered a similar dry situation. Chamong and other organic growers will not be able to produce their usual tippy second flush teas. "We even had to close some of our estates, both in Assam and in Darjeeling, for a few days during the first flush period, due to lack of leaf intake. This has never happened in the past during this period," Kichlu said, "However, the First Flush teas that Chamong did make this year were better quality and had better flavor than usual. The gardens focused on making First Flush teas as they used to be made – with a longer oxidation that gives a darker finished leaf and a sweeter, less thin, green, and astringent liquor." put up for public consultation. Those taking part are expected to reach complete compliance by the fourth year. To learn more: www.trustea.org/ draftCode.php Indian Tea 'Trustea' Code India's draft Trustea code aims to help tea estates comply with national regulations and international sustainability standards. Its goal is to evaluate the social, economic, agronomic, and environmental standards of estates, smallholder farms and bought leaf factories. India requires its tea farmers to follow strict social and environmental standards and this new code will allow producers to demonstrate their adherence to those standards to their customers. The new system includes food safety, good manufacturing practices, auditing, and small holder farming sustainability. The program has been endorsed by ETP, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ. The first stage of Trustea is to run six pilot programs in West Bengal, Assam and Nilgiri, on large estates, small estates and smallholdings and the code will then be INDONESIA Farmer-owned Tea Factories The Indonesian Tea Board and the Indonesian government are encouraging the development of farmer-owned tea factories in order to reduce smallholders' reliance on the private sector. In April deputy trade minister Bayu Krisnamurthi opened the Iroet People's Tea Factory in Kampung Cisaat, West Java, the first of 20 farmer-owned factories planned for West Java and Central Java, the coun- try's most important tea regions. The Iroet factory is able to process 8.5 tons of fresh leaf delivered into the facility by members of the smallholders coopera- tive. This will allow the factory to produce around 50 tons of made tea per month. Rachmat Badruddin, chairman of the Indonesian Tea Board explained, "The Indonesia Tea Board had been spearheading the tea smallholders development program in Indonesia, and I am happy to inform you that Indonesia is the chair of the Working Group of International Tea Smallholder FAO/ IGG," he said. The next IGG tea meeting is scheduled from Nov. 5-7 in Bandung, Indonesia and will be preced- ed by an International Tea Conference. Learn by writing Rachmat Badruddin: indotea@indosat.net.id JAPAN Beauty and Body Care Products S Corps, Japan now offers a range of soaps, facial cleansers, and moisturizers made with green tea from Shizuoka. The Soh-Cha soap includes Yabukita green tea and powdered Benifuuki green tea - a varietal of the tea plant that has been receiving attention recently because of its apparent potency in alleviating