Kathmandu, May 24:

Nepali tea entrepreneurs are taking part in the Tea and Coffee World Cup that is going to be organised in Geneva on June 3-5 and the World Tea Expo — going to be organised in Atlanta — on June 9-11, to promote Nepali orthodox tea in the international market.

“The entrepreneurs will represent Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers’ Cooperative (HIMCOOP) — a marketing cooperative of the Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA) — at both the events,” informed Uday Chapagain, ch-airman of the HIMCOOP and co-ordinator of the Gen-eva and Atlanta expo at a pr-ogramme organised today.

“Nepal’s participation in Geneva is facilitated by German Technical Cooperation/Private Sector Promotion (GTZ/PSP) in cooperation with Winrock International (WI/USAID) and ministry of industry commerce and supplies,” said Deepak Prakash Baskota, chairman of Tea Development Alliance (TDA).

“Tea and Coffee World Cup and World Tea Expo is a better platform for Nepali tea to market itself,” said Chapagain adding that the fair will bring together the vast buying community, distributors, wholesellers, manufacturers and provide an opportunity to meet potential buyers from around the world.

Nepali orthodox tea has a huge market potential around the world, mainly in Europe and the US. According to the TDA, the export orders through HIMCOOP increased from 26,575 in 2005 to 41,965 in 2006 by almost 58 per cent.

“The Alliance is in the process of registering Nepal brand,” informed Chapagain adding that the brand will help to promote the Nepali orthodox tea more effectively in the global market.

The Tea Development Alliance, which comprises of AEC/FNCCI, HOTPA, HIMCOOP, NTCDB, SNV Nepal, GTZ/PSP, IDE, TEASEC, and WI, is a unique concept that promotes the interest of all stakeholders including smallholders.