Why it is hard to find quality Matcha and Japanese green tea in India?

Why it is hard to find quality Matcha and Japanese green tea in India?

Many Indians enjoy drinking tea on a regular basis, but each tea product has a different flavor and unique health benefits. Green tea is a popular variety in India, and there are several varieties of green tea to consider trying. Compared to loose leaf or ground green tea, Matcha green tea and other high-quality green tea products offer substantial benefits that India residents understandably want to take advantage of.

These health and flavor benefits are directly derived from a unique growing and manufacturing process. However, if you have attempted to find quality Japanese green tea in India, you may be surprised by how difficult this process is.

After all, high-quality Japanese green tea is in high demand, and it is reasonable to think that this demand would be met by a readily-available supply. There are actually several legitimate and significant reasons why India’s tea drinkers like you may be challenged to obtain quality green tea from Japan.

green tea

Surprising High Import Tax

India is one of many countries that have placed import taxes on products that are brought into the country from other countries. In the case of high-quality green tea from Japan, India has placed a whopping 100 percent import tax on the products.

Essentially, a Japanese company that is trying to sell its tea in India must pay the Indian government an import tax that equates to the full sales price of the product.

As you might imagine, this is cost-prohibitive for the tea companies because it erodes away most or all of the profit that they may otherwise enjoy by selling their tea in India. Many tea companies simply avoid trying to sell their products in India regardless of the demand because of this excessively high import tax. It is simply not cost-effective.

More than that, each of the 29 states and the seven territories in India have a unique sales tax filing requirement. This means that companies that sell their products in each state or territory must file a separate sales tax report in each area where they do business. This is unnecessarily complicated and time-consuming.

Japanese Green Tea

Unexpected Rejection of India-Based Credit Card Purchases

The Internet makes it easier than ever for consumers to order products from companies based in other countries, so you understandably may think that you can simply place your own direct order to get the quality green tea that you desire.

Credit cards are the most common form of payment for online purchases, and you may assume that you can import any legal product as desired with a credit card purchase. However, using a credit card to buy Japanese green tea in India is not an option. If you attempt to make your purchase using a credit card, Japanese companies will automatically reject the use of credit cards in India for payment. This means that individual consumers who are interested in buying green tea from Japan must find an alternate way to pay for their purchase.

Sencha Japanese Green Tea

Excessive Complication Calculating Import Tax

For Matcha tea companies and other types of Japanese green tea companies that decide to sell their products in India despite the incredibly expensive import tax, the hurdle of calculating the import tax must be addressed. India has an overwhelmingly complicated import taxation system in place for Japanese goods.

This is partially in response to the trade deficit between India and Japan. Notably, green tea may not be the only product that is affected by a complicated import tax system. Imports across the board from Japan into India have been declining in recent years. Come companies may simply give up on attempting to calculate the amount of import tax owed because of extreme complications.

Japanese green tea

Amazing Regulations for Importing Japanese Food Products

As a food product, all types of authentic Japanese green tea products must also meet all of India’s food regulations and requirements related to food. One example is the product labeling requirement enforced by FSSAI, or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

FSSAI Logo

The labeling requirements are rigid and comprehensive, and the require the including of "best by" dates, net quantity, the complete address of the manufacturer, the company's licensing number and many other requirements.

These requirements dramatically increase the complication, stress and even cost of importing food products in India to a level that it is prohibitive to do so.

In fact, India’s primary imports from Japan are mechanical or metallic in nature rather than food-based. This includes automotive parts, marine vessels and dock parts, flat-rolled non-alloy steel supplies and more.

Because these non-food products do not have to meet India’s rigid food regulations and requirements, it may be much easier for these Japanese companies to get their goods into the Indian marketplace. Keep in mind that the food import regulations are also challenging to understand, and this adds to the complication associated with importing quality Japanese green tea into India.

A Stressful Language Barrier Burden

Many of the high-end tea drinkers in India are English-speakers. Notably, many of the Indian retailers and companies that may wish to import their high-quality Japanese green tea into India are also English-speakers.

Japanese Green Tea with Japanese Lady in Kimono

Unfortunately, this creates a major language barrier that presents an additional challenge. This is because many authentic Japanese green tea companies do not have an English-speaking representative.

The lack of an English-speaking representative creates a huge language barrier that may be difficult or impossible to overcome. Japanese green tea companies that want to sell products in India typically must increase their overhead by hiring an English-speaking employee to facilitate the sales process.

An Astonishing Number of Impostors

High-quality green tea products from Japan may be grown using specific types of plants and proven traditional growing and production practices. These are essential to produce the delicious flavor and wonderful health benefits that different varieties of authentic Japanese green tea provide. However, they are many impostor products that are grown in China or India and that do not have the tremendous health and flavor benefits that true Japanese Matcha green tea offers. Some Indians who believe that they have found healthy Japanese green tea in their country unfortunately are actually drinking less beneficial tea from other countries.

Quality Japanese green tea that is produced through traditional and natural processes has tremendous health benefits as well as an undeniably wonderful flavor. Unfortunately, Indian residents who want to take advantage of the health and flavor benefits associated with this type of tea have trouble finding authentic Japanese tea in local stores. They also may not be able to import the tea directly from Japan on their own with an online purchase. While it may be challenging to find authentic green tea from Japan in India, rest assured that you may be successful with persistence.

Japanese Tea and Sakura

Where Can I Get Quality Japanese Green Tea in India?

Japanese Green Tea Company specializes importing quality Japanese green tea to India.

Japanese Green Tea Company

When you buy Japanese green tea from Japanese Green Tea Company, you are getting fresh100% authentic Japanese green tea imported ethically through above processes.  Your item gets shipped from our warehouse in Tamilnadu, India so you do not have to worry about any of the taxation mentioned above.

Buy Fresh Japanese Green Tea in India Now

  

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