An Analysis Of The Domestic Market Of Orthodox Tea: A Case Study Of Kathmandu Valley

A study was conducted at Kathmandu valley on “An Analysis of the Domestic Market of Orthodox tea: A Case Study of Kathmandu Valley”. The study was performed from April to August 2023. The simple random method of sampling was used to select the samples from the sampling frame; semi-structured interview schedule was used during the face to face interview taken with the respondents. A total of 45 consumers, 15 producers, 20 distributors and 4 key informants were selected for interview. Orthodox tea is one of the major export products of Nepal due to its high value and demand in the international market. In recent times, the use of orthodox tea has increased in the domestic market too. The survey showed that the young generations are more attracted towards such specialty tea. However, the production and domestic market of orthodox tea was plummeted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector needs more work from the governmental and private sectors to promote its use in domestic tea culture because the domestic tea market is vastly dominated by CTC tea. Also, the lack of processing equipment, training facilities, infrastructure, governmental policies, and minimal promotional activities are some of the major problems hindering the potential development of orthodox tea in Nepal. Even though orthodox tea is considered an export commodity, the consumption of orthodox tea has been a growing trend in the domestic market in recent years. It can be concluded that the orthodox tea market holds huge market possibilities in Kathmandu Valley in the coming years.