Registration application filed for Darjeeling Tea !

The Tea Board of India filed an application at Brussels on Monday to register Darjeeling as a Geographical Indication (GI) in the European Union (EU).
GI is a sign used on products, which have a specific geographical origin. The use of a GI often acts as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.
Darjeeling was the first GI to be registered in India and is the first application for registration of a tea in Europe.
The distinctive characteristics of Darjeeling tea are due to both its geographic origin and the way in which the tea is processed in Darjeeling.
A major portion of the annual production of Darjeeling tea is exported, the key markets being Japan, Russia, the US and the EU countries.
India is one of the world's largest producers of tea, with a total production of over 900 million kg in 2006. India supplies about 30 percent of the world's tea.