Kathmandu, March 14

The National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) is set to host the Third International Tea Festival in the Capital from April 6.

Issuing a press statement today, NTCDB officials said that the three-day event will be organised with the sole purpose to aggressively market Nepali tea in the domestic as well as global markets.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is expected to inaugurate the event.

The festival will host high-level foreign delegates, along with tea and coffee entrepreneurs of 13 different countries. According to the board, the event will be based on the theme of ‘discovering hidden treasures’ of Nepali tea.

As a part of the event, NTCDB said it would unveil Nepal Tea trademark from the top of the world (Everest Base Camp). The tea festival will also include exhibition of a variety of tea produced in the country, tea garden tour and tea-tasting, among other activities.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari is scheduled to grace closing ceremony of the event.

Statistics of the government show that tea plantation is carried out on an estimated 28,000 hectares of land across the country. These tea gardens produce over 24 million kilograms of tea annually, of which around 5.5 million kilograms is orthodox tea.

Known for its aroma, bright colour and fruity flavour, Nepali orthodox tea is mostly produced in country’s hilly region. Similarly, Tarai plains is suitable for CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl) tea, which is famous for its strong, bright and full-bodied taste, according to NTCDB.