Nepal’s tea industry is brimming with potential but beyond its growth lies a complex web of challenges. SAAPE’s latest research uncovers deep-rooted inequalities in the tea supply chain, where workers and smallholders face low wages, poor conditions, and limited market access. From plantation to packaging, labor struggles and structural barriers persist. Despite tea’s export significance, urgent reforms are needed to ensure fairness, sustainability, and dignity across the sector.
Key recommendations from the report:
1. Promote quality and branding for market differentiation
2. Institutionalize a living wage framework
3. Ensure transparency and traceability across the supply chain
4. Aggregate and empower smallholders through national platform
5. Update the legal and policy framework
6. Expand social security and labour rights
7. Strengthen the cooperative model
8. Improve testing and certification infrastructure
9. Enhance access to export markets
10. Implement corporate due diligence standards
You can access and download the full report here: https://saape.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/tea-value-chain-report-2025.pdf
