Guwahati: The Tea Research Association (TRA) has launched TocklAI, an artificial intelligence model designed specifically for the tea industry, turning more than a century of research at Assam’s Tocklai Tea Research Institute into a digital tool for planters and growers.

The launch took place at TRA’s 62nd Annual General Meeting at Tollygunge Club in Kolkata on Thursday in the presence of Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles Pabitra Margherita, Tea Board of India Deputy Chairman and CEO C. Murugan and IFFCO managing director K. J. Patel.

TRA said TocklAI is the first AI model developed specifically for the global tea industry. Unlike general-purpose AI systems, it is designed to draw answers from TRA’s verified research archive through a retrieval-augmented generation system.

The idea is to make research generated over decades at Tocklai more accessible to those working in tea gardens.

Planters, estate managers and small tea growers will be able to use the system for questions relating to pest and disease management, soil health, plant nutrition, tea clones, replanting, climate adaptation, processing and food-safety compliance.

TRA Secretary Joydeep Phukan, who conceived and is leading the project, said more than 2,000 scientific publications have already been digitised and the work is expected to be completed within 18 months.

“Small tea growers now produce more than half of India’s tea, yet they have the least access to research,” Phukan said, adding that TocklAI was intended to help bridge that gap.

The project brings together scientists from Tocklai, the Tea Board of India and Vishal Misra of Columbia University. TRA’s Council of Management approved the project in July this year.

TRA chairman Suneel Singh Sikand said the initiative would put Tocklai’s century-old knowledge base directly in the hands of tea producers.

“Tocklai holds a century of data that no one else in the world has,” Sikand said.

Push to take Indian tea up the value chain

Margherita described the launch as an important step for an institution that has completed 115 years of tea research.

He also pointed to the Tea Board’s CHAAYANKAN project with ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre and NIT Rourkela, which uses AI and geospatial technology for plantation monitoring, pest and disease forecasting and yield estimation.

The minister urged the tea industry to develop products aimed at younger consumers and move towards higher-value markets, while improving traceability and regulatory compliance.

He said the Assam government had extended support to the sector, including Rs 10 crore for Tocklai and Rs 17 crore for the Small Tea Growers’ Cell.

TRA flags export and compliance challenges

While technology dominated the AGM, TRA also flagged growing challenges for Indian tea in international markets.

Sikand said tea exports rose to around 270 million kg, valued at more than Rs 8,300 crore, in 2025-26, but exports declined by about 16% during January-July 2026 amid the West Asia conflict and shipping disruptions.

He identified regulatory compliance as one of the biggest challenges facing Indian tea exporters.

TRA said maximum residue limits for the insecticides Acetamiprid and Imidacloprid, both approved for use in tea, are still pending with FSSAI. New European restrictions on neonicotinoids have also started affecting shipments to Europe.

TRA and the UK Tea & Infusions Association formed a joint working group in April to share regulatory information, with tea associations from Europe, the US and Canada subsequently joining the initiative.

Sikand also warned that India could face a tea supply crunch after 2037 if production fails to keep pace with domestic consumption. He called for a national programme for uprooting old tea bushes and replanting them, backed by regenerative soil management.

New climate-resilient tea clone released

TRA also released TV 36, a new tea clone developed with climate resilience in mind. According to the association, the clone showed the least impact from climatic variation during breeding while retaining good yield potential.

IFFCO, meanwhile, launched Nano Urea Plus and Nano DAP for tea cultivation following four years of joint trials with TRA. The trials reportedly recorded yield gains of 8-14%, and the products are now set to be included in TRA’s Package of Practices.

A TRA study funded through the Tea Board’s National Tea Research Foundation identified 397 flavour compounds that distinguish Darjeeling tea from seven other origins, including Nepal. TRA said the findings could provide scientific support for protecting Darjeeling tea’s geographical identity.

The Food and Agriculture Organization has also entrusted TRA with developing a global framework on climate change and tea aimed at supporting the sector’s transition towards net-zero emissions.

TRA has proposed establishing Chai Vigyan Kendras in Assam and West Bengal to provide scientific support to small growers, particularly on uprooting and replanting.

Established in 1911, TRA operates the Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Jorhat and the North Bengal R&D Centre at Nagrakata in West Bengal. It provides research, advisory and laboratory services to tea estates and small growers across eastern India.