Guwahati, Nov. 10 -- India's tea industry has called for the early introduction of a Minimum Sustainable Price (MSP) after a committee constituted by the Tea Board of India recommended a benchmark pricing mechanism to address the widening gap between production costs and tea prices.

The recommendation comes at a time when tea producers are grappling with rising input costs, stagnant price realisations and the prospect of further wage increases under the Code on Wages. Industry associations say the proposed mechanism could provide a financial cushion to producers, particularly small tea growers, whose livelihoods depend on the prices they receive for green leaf.

India, the world's second-largest tea producer, produces around 1,350-1,400 ...