Tocklai signs pact with I4IC to bring AI, Industry 4.0 to tea sector

The Tea Research Association's Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Jorhat signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, November 9, with the Industry 4.0 Innovation Centre (I4IC) to bring artificial intelligence and other new technologies into India's tea value chain, Pratidin Time reported.

I4IC is an autonomous society of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) under the Department of Public Enterprises in the Union Finance Ministry.

The agreement was signed by Joydeep Phukan, Secretary and Principal Officer of the TRA, and Dr Prashant Jindal, Treasurer of I4IC. Phukan said the tie-up, backed by CPSEs under a Government of India mandate, would strengthen Tocklai's efforts to bring new technology to the Indian tea industry.

A shared AI platform built on Tocklai data

The centrepiece of the partnership is a common artificial intelligence and machine-learning platform built on Tocklai's research data and expertise. It is meant for tea estates, small tea growers and research institutions in the Northeast, and will add to the TRA's existing AI work, including its TocklAI tool.

The two bodies will also carry out research, surveys and impact assessments, and hold workshops and symposiums on using Industry 4.0 tools across tea production, processing and marketing. These include technology to cope with climate change and to improve quality.

What it means for small growers

The MoU includes work to bring the supply chain of small tea growers in line with best practices, with the aim of better prices for the green leaf they sell to factories. Small growers now produce a large share of Assam's tea but often complain of low and uncertain leaf prices.

The partners also plan to:

• set up training centres, laboratories and AI training on ESG and sustainable development goals, traceability, food safety and pesticide residue (MRL) standards for domestic and export markets;
• support tea micro-enterprises run by young people, women and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs from the Northeast;
• create a corpus fund for tea research and support a Global Capability Centre for the tea economy.

Why it matters

Pesticide residue limits and traceability have become key hurdles for Indian tea in export markets, and the industry has been under pressure from rising costs and weak prices. Tocklai, set up in 1911, is one of the oldest tea research stations in the world and advises much of the organised tea sector in the Northeast.

The report did not give a timeline or budget for the platform or the training centres.