Brewing healthy olive tea for the world

The novel olive tea has been launched for the first time globally, in Rajasthan. The initiative is expected to double farmers' income by 2022

Sita Devi, a 49-year-old farmer of Bassi village, is hopeful that her olive farms will bring in more money and yield, after olive tea production and packaging kicked off in Rajasthan.

Like Sita, there are 451 farmer families in Rajasthan who have grown olives in their farms and are sure that their stars will change. The world's first processed olive tea, produced from the olive plants in Rajasthan, was launched by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje last week. The tea is the result of the MoU signed between the state government and Olitia Foods during the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet 2016.

Olitia claims that even before the official launch of the tea, countries like the UK, US and some Gulf countries had shown deep interest in this product. Recently, they entered into a partnership agreement for distribution across the UK and the rest of Europe with Vincent Terranova and Gurdeep Singh of Greanleaf Trading Company from the United Kingdom.

In 2007, the Government of Rajasthan started cultivating olives considering that the climate here was conducive. With the help of technology from Israel, they planted olives in 5000 hectares of land. Now the government is planning to expand it to 20,000 hectares, with the hope that this innovative product would earn an international identity to the olive produced by Rajasthan farmers.

Raje said that during the launch, "Efforts for promoting olive cultivation in Rajasthan started yielding positive outcomes. The target of doubling farmers' income by 2020 could only be achieved by implementing such innovations."

The processing and production also aims to give jobs to thousands of workers in 11 districts of Rajasthan where olives are grown. "Over the last few years, we were disappointed as olive farms were bearing no fruit, but after tea processing began, our life has changed. I work in the field and earn Rs 100 against 1 kg of tea," Sita Devi added.

Women in most districts are empowered after this initiative kicked off.  Clad in colourful odhnis, they are seen plucking leaves, which needs a tender approach.

The olive seeds were sowed in cocopeat for the first year in a laboratory-controlled environment. Only then, these plants were transferred to the field. The ideal-sized leaves are crushed and dried to produce the olive tea.

Olitia Foods has brewed up an alternative to green tea. After years of research, they have come up with the world's first processed olive tea. This is the first time in the world that machinery has been tailor-made for crushing, tearing and curling of olive leaves. The only processing unit where the packaging and processing take place is situated at Bassi.

Olitia Foods has so far invested Rs 10 crore for the same. Dharmpal Garhwal, Director at Olitia Foods, hopes to better the condition of farmers by involving them in the cultivation of olives with the Government of Rajasthan. "With the introduction of exotic crops, farmers are no longer dependent on conventional crops.

They can earn more profits for their efforts. Unlike other crops, olive plants don't need soft water which is scarce in Rajasthan. Since olives don't sprout throughout the year, olive tea leaves give farmers more income because they grow back in 40-50 days."

Olive tea is called a modern-day elixir because its health benefits outnumber any other tea. Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini says that lab tests have confirmed the presence of a strong anti-oxidant called Luteolin in olive leaves that can even help prevent several types of cancer — blood cancer, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. After the studies and lab tests confirmed these properties of olive leaves, the decision to process them was taken. It will medically benefit those who suffer from mental stress, cardiac disease.

As of now, the flavours available are lemongrass, holy basil, and exotic mint. Tea expert Avijit Dey, who is working with the project since inception, told DH, "Next will be ginger and tulsi tea. The tea is packed with antioxidants, which clears your skin of toxins and carcinogens. It energises you even when it has no caffeine. It reduces wrinkles, acne and gives the skin a young glow. It eats away cholesterol and reduces blood pressure. It improves immunity, and hence, prevents cold and flu." In the first phase, the pack of 20 tea bags range from Rs 450-470.

While the government is aiming that the product will reach all across the globe, experts in organic farming advocate for a shift at the national level, instead of an export-oriented focus, towards domestic focus for organic farming.

"Other than an export-oriented perspective, the Ministry of Commerce, which is implementing the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) since 2001, need to be immediately shifted under the Ministry of Agriculture, and the focus needs to be shifted towards domestic consumers and consumption. There is also a need to invest in some pilot projects on value-addition of organic produce, developing organic villages," said George Cheyriyan, Director of CUTS International -- an NGO working in 10 districts of Rajasthan for promoting organic farming.

A pilot project on olive cultivation was conceived, after the visit of teams of farmers and agriculture experts to Israel to study technical feasibility and economic viability of olive cultivation in Rajasthan. After studying and reviewing the recommendations of the expert teams, the Government of Rajasthan decided to promote olive cultivation under public-private partnership in the state.

DH News Service

Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited (ROCL): ROCL was incorporated on 19.4.2007 under the Company Act, 1956. The company was constituted in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan through Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board, Plastro Plasson Industries (India) Limited (now Finolex Plasson Industries (India) Limited), Pune & Indolive Limited of Israel having equal partnership. Initially, the Government of Rajasthan through Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board & Plastro Plasson Industries (India) Limited, Pune.