The Indonesian Tea Council prepares standard certification to increase competitiveness

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Tea Council (DTI) prepared a draft for the Indonesian Tea Standard (STI) certification that applies to the entire tea supply chain in the country to improve the national tea industry's competitiveness. DTI Chairman Rahmat Gunadi commented here on Thursday that the STI aims to create a balance in the market that is considered unhealthy. According to Gunadi, tea business actors in the country have admitted to gaps in the industry, especially related to the benefits obtained from the supply chain. "DTI will issue the STI in the form of a certificate after (tea industry players undergo) a series of independent institutional audits," he noted at the "Indonesian Tea Standard Public Hearing" event. Currently, he explained that tea prices in domestic and global markets continue to be suppressed, resulting in producers and packers continuing to lose money despite the production costs, including for fertilizers and labor wages, having ...