The Tea Board of India will set up experience zones in four different cities of the country during the G20 meetings to be held next year during India’s presidency in the G20 forum.

The locations that have been selected for setting up such zones are Mumbai, Kevadia (Gujarat), Bangalore and Jaipur where the G20 meets would be held in the months of March, June, July, and August respectively.

“The idea is to showcase and promote different varieties of Indian brew before the visiting delegates who can also enjoy the experience of sipping some of the finest varieties of teas produced in the country. Tea companies can join at these venues and set up counters to exhibit their teas in these world-class experience zones which will come up at the venues,” said a source in the tea board.

While meetings of the trade and investment working group of the forum would be held in all the venues, a ministerial meeting of the G20 member nations will also be held in Jaipur.

Along with teas, coffee, spices, and millet will also find space in the experience zones in all these venues.

“These Indian commodities too, will be exhibited at the zones so that the delegates get a first-hand idea about the products,” said a source.

Those associated with the tea industry have welcomed the initiative.

“G20 is a major global forum and hundreds of delegates from various countries will visit India to attend meetings next year. We believe that more such experience zones should be set up in meeting venues which are located in tea-producing areas such as Darjeeling and Siliguri,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’ Associations.

Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary general of the Tea Association of India — a tea planters’ body — said that over the past few years, their organisation had been trying to increase the export of Indian teas.

“This promotion (during G20) can help Indian tea producers find new buyers from various countries. We hope the tea industry will benefit from the G20 meets which will be held across India next year,” Bhattacharjee said.

Sikkim venue

Sikkim will host two G20 events in March next year during India’s year-long presidency of the intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union.

Altogether, the central government has planned more than 200 events to be held throughout the country during its stewardship.

“Despite being the eighth state of the Northeast, the Indian government has provided Sikkim an opportunity to host two functions of G20 in March 2023. The only other state in the Northeast which will host such events is Assam,” said Sikkim chief minister P. S.Tamang (Golay) on Thursday.

The chief minister was speaking at the 318th birth anniversary of Limbu scholar and revivalist, Teypmgsi Sirijunga, at Martam village in Gyalshing district of the state.

The events, he said, will provide Sikkim an opportunity to showcase its culture, tradition, and much more to the world at large.