Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491371
28 STiR tea & coffee industry international trafficking and abuse, was announced in September by UNICEF and the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP). The three-year program is supported and funded by IDH (the Sustainable Trade Initiative); ETP members Tesco, OTG (Meßmer), Tata Global Beverages (Tetley, Tata Tea), and Taylors of Harrogate (York- shire Tea); and Typhoo. The program will initially work with 350 communities on more than 100 estates in three districts of Assam, and has the potential to serve as a model to protect children across other rural communities. UK supermarket Tesco is the first interna- tional retailer to partner with ETP and has played a leading role in bringing together the coalition of organizations behind the program as part of its ongoing commitment to improve conditions across its supply chains. The partnership is the first of its kind to bring together all key stakeholders in the tea industry – public and private organizations and the supply chain – to tackle the problem of child exploitation across the sector. Child protection issues are a huge challenge in India, especially in rural areas including those that grow and produce tea. The exploitation and abuse of children in these communities is exacerbated by poverty, gender, caste, and a lack of education. To learn more contact Jon Copping email jon.cop- ping@ethicalteapartnership.org province of West Java has been chosen because 60% of the country's tea is located in the region and production is very successful there. The money will be used to carry out an intensification program to provide fertilizers and expert assistance to 1,700 hectares, and the rehabilitation, with the provision of new tea seeds and fertilizers for another 1,500 hectares. The Agriculture Ministry has a budget of Rp 1.57 trillion ($129.4 million) to develop plantations growing 12 commodities this year, including tea. INDIA India Tea Production Down India's total tea output is expected to fall by 10% in 2014 because of lack of rain and warmer temperatures 2-5 degrees higher than normal. Higher temperatures also increase pest infestations which can in turn affect the growth of the plants and these difficult conditions have already affected production of the country's top quality teas in all regions. In Assam, crop yields were down by 17.8 million kg (4.5%) for the January- February period and North India was down by 22.3 million kg for the first six months of the year. South India's overall production is expected to reach normal quantities because a fall in the first part of the year due to poor weather condi- tions has been counterbalanced by an increase resulting from good rainfall in June and July. Long dry periods and changing patterns of rainfall are expect- ed to cause similar problems in the future and the Indian tea industry knows that it must address such issues caused by climate change. UNICEF & ETP Fight Abuse A ground-breaking new partnership to improve opportunities for tens of thousands of children in tea communi- ties to help reduce their vulnerability to INDONESIA Ministry Aids Tea Industry Tea production in Indonesia is held back by a lack of available land and 2,000 hectares of land have been converted from tea cultivation to other activities in the last five years. This has meant a drop in production from 151,012 tons in 2010 to 148,671 in 2013. The Agriculture Ministry has therefore allocated Rp 50 billion ($4.32 million) to help revitalize 3,200 hectares of tea gardens in West Java with a goal of raising output. The JAPAN Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf In August The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Southern California's oldest and largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the U.S., announced the signing of an exclusive area development agreement with developer, L.A. Style, to introduce its premium beverages and innovative brand culture to Japan. L.A. Style is a joint-venture partnership between Hotland Co., Ltd. an experi- enced and actively growing operator in the Japanese fast-casual restaurant segment and Aeon Mall Co., Ltd., Japan's largest shopping mall developer. The first store will open by the end of 2014, and L.A. Style Inc. intends to grow the brand's presence nationally with an expected 200 stores across Japan. Established in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is known for sourcing and providing the finest ingredients and flavors from around the world. The company has grown to be an interna- tional icon and has almost 1,000 stores in 24 countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.