Guwahati, Aug. 25 -- The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has urged the Centre to ensure a level playing field for India's tea sector amid growing competition from South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, including Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The recommendations were presented in the Committee's 194th report, titled 'Performance Evaluation and Review of Some Commodity Boards', during the recently concluded Parliament session.

India, the world's second-largest tea grower by area and the fourth-largest exporter, is under increasing pressure from rising imports.

The Committee noted that many tea-exporting countries offer subsidies and export incentives, making their products more competitive than Indian teas....