Indian tea safe to use in Iran

Tehran: Indian tea in Iranian markets is safe to use as it is under the supervision of the National Standard Organisation (NSO), said an official.

"There could be no guarantee, concerning commodities such as rice and tea which are illegally imported to Iran," said Nayyereh Pirouzbakht, NSO head.

Pirouzbakht announced the formation of a joint working group composed of Iranian and Indian experts and the group would be assigned to remove technical obstacles and facilitate trade, state-run news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

The group would evaluate the standard and look into issues over the import of rice, tea and soya.

An Indian group visited Iran during last month and was familiarised with the condition of standards prevailing in Iran with regard to import of rice, Pirouzbakht said.

She said the Indian tea imported to Iran so far has been in accordance with the international Codex and ISO standards, but these standards were the base, she said.

The official said after water, tea is the most important drink in Iran. Therefore, for its import, specific details should be considered.

She said any trade transaction, on the basis of standard regulations between Iran and India, can be effective in strengthening bilateral trade.