- The Asia Tea Alliance (ATA) met in Kolkata to address challenges in tea production due to climate change and explore market expansion opportunities.
- The Asia Tea Alliance (ATA) is a coalition of tea producers, apex associations, and tea boards from Asia’s largest tea-producing countries, including India, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Japan.
- Founded in 2019, ATA aims to support a sustainable, competitive, and resilient tea sector across Asia.
- Key resolutions include rejecting genetically modified (GM) tea and targeting the African market for export growth.
- Producers resolved not to adopt GM tea varieties to ensure natural and safe tea production.
- Advocated for natural selection of robust plants.
- Climate change has reduced tea production in India by 10% this year.
- India is the second largest producer of Tea in the world after China.
- India is also the largest consumer of Black Tea.
| Principle of Genetic Modification (GM) Genetic Modification involves altering an organism’s genome by introducing, deleting, or modifying specific genes to achieve desired traits. Key steps include identifying a target gene, isolating it, inserting it into the host using vectors or direct methods, ensuring its integration and expression, and screening for success. Bt cotton incorporates a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis to produce a protein toxic to pests, enhancing crop resistance and yield. |
Dig Deeper: Read the difference between Black Tea and Regular Tea
