New Delhi: The Tea Board of India on Monday launched courses on tea tasting at its research and development centre in West Bengal's Kurseong to develop a professionally trained workforce for the tea industry.

The initiative would help build a skilled workforce capable of enhancing tea quality, ensuring scientific sensory evaluation, strengthening quality assurance systems and promoting tea appreciation among consumers, the Tea Board's Deputy Chairperson C Murugan said.

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The skill courses approved by the National Council for Vocational Education and Training have been developed with the assistance of the Agriculture Skill Council of India and are aligned with National Education Policy-2020 and the National Skill Qualification Framework.

The curriculum has been formulated by a committee comprising representatives from the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, subject experts and industry professionals.

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It aims to create trained tea tasters and tea sommeliers to support quality enhancement, tea appreciation, value addition, branding and market competitiveness of Indian teas, while promoting tea literacy among youth and generating employment opportunities in the sector.

The programme offers two courses of 60 hours and 210 hours.

The inaugural batch began at the Tea Board's Darjeeling Tea Research and Development Centre (DTRDC) with a 60-hour certificate course, focusing on tea appreciation, professional tasting techniques, tea blending and emerging practices in the industry.

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