To meet the fierce challenges thrown up by some non-tea beverages, for example soft drinks, some large tea producing countries are feeling an urgent need to project the health aspects of tea before world consumers.In a meeting of the group held in October, the decision was taken that tea packages bearing Tea Mark should contain pure tea and it should have all the health properties that tea is known for. India and Sri Lanka were among the participant countries in the meeting.

Chairman of the Tea Board SS Ahuja told The Financial Express that FAO was keen on introducing such certification to assure tea drinkers that what they were drinking was pure tea and contained all the health properties tea should have.

This would help drinkers to discover all the goodness of tea, he said. The teas having certification of Tea Mark will be 90 per cent pure tea and the balance 10 per cent will consist of other ingredients with proper healthproperties.

These will be specified in detail at the labels of the packages. Earlier, India and Sri Lanka were of the opinion that only 100 per cent pure Camellia Sinesis should qualify for Tea Mark.

But the other member countries where a number of packeters dominate the trade were opposed to the move. Conceding that demand, India suggested a minimum pure tea content of not less than 90 per cent for a Tea Mark certification.

While addressing a meeting of the United Planters' Association of South India (Upasi) recently, the principal advisor to the Planning Commission, DP Bagchi, laid stress on the urgent need to introduce the Tea Mark certification.

He observed: "The Tea Mark certification, along with the protection of Intellectual Property Rights for commodities with geographical indications, will go a long way in helping India's tea industry. Our draft legislation on geographical indication is ready and is likely to be enacted soon."