India, Nov. 13 -- Five major Indian tea industry associations have backed a recommendation by a Tea Board of India committee to introduce a Minimum Sustainable Price (MSP) for tea, citing a widening gap between production costs and market prices.

The Tea Board committee has recommended a composite index reflecting wage movements and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for determining the benchmark MSP. It has also proposed periodic reviews of the benchmark to ensure that the pricing framework remains aligned with changes in production costs and inflation.

Senior representatives from the Indian Tea Association (ITA), Tea Association of India (TAI), United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI), Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growe...