Fact Check: Tea Industry Reopened Due to Government Measures, Not PM Balen's Alleged Warning to India

 

Kathmandu. Since Friday, a claim has been circulating widely across various social media platforms alleging that, “After Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) directly talked with India and said, ‘If you obstruct, we'll find another market,’ the closed tea industries started operating again.” The claim has been shared in connection with the reopening of tea industries in eastern Nepal that had been shut down earlier this month.

However, a fact-check by the TechPana Fact-Check Desk found the claim to be misleading. While it is true that the tea industries were temporarily closed and have since resumed operations, there is no evidence to support the claim that Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) directly negotiated with Indian officials or threatened to seek alternative markets.

The tea industries resumed operations after the government formed a special task force to address obstacles in Nepali tea exports and assured industrialists that their concerns would be resolved. Local authorities also pledged to arrange adequate storage facilities for processed tea. In addition, tea factories restarted after farmers, industrialists, and local experts reached a mutual agreement to temporarily withhold payments to tea growers and store processed tea until market conditions improved, preventing massive financial losses caused by unsold green tea leaves.

No official record or credible evidence shows that Prime Minister Balen or the Prime Minister's Office held direct talks with India regarding the issue.

Claim

On Friday, June 27, 2026, at 10:49 a.m., a Facebook page named "Janaboli TV" published a post claiming that the closure of Nepal's tea industries ended after Prime Minister Balendra Shah personally warned India that Nepal would look for another market if export restrictions continued.

The poster stated, "The tea industries that were closed have resumed operation because Prime Minister Balen directly talked to India; otherwise, we would have looked for another market."

The accompanying caption repeated the same claim. By the time this fact-check was prepared, the Facebook post had received more than 8,900 reactions, 232 comments, and had been shared 179 times. See the original post, archive post, and screenshot.

Investigation

The TechPana Fact-Check Desk received multiple requests from social media users asking for verification of the claim.

A keyword search using terms such as "Prime Minister," "Balen," and "India" found that the same claim had also been amplified by the Facebook page "Greater Nepal TV." See the original post and screenshot.

The claim was also shared by Facebook user "Padam Singh Dobal." See the original post and screenshot.

Likewise, the Facebook page "Himalaya Dainik" published the same claim. See the original post, archive link, and screenshot.

To verify the claim, the TechPana Fact-Check Desk reviewed reports published by several credible media outlets, including Gorkhapatra, Ekantipur, Annapurna Post, Onlinekhabar, and Setopati.

These reports consistently show that tea industries closed after India introduced new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and stricter quality-control measures for Nepali tea exports. The industries later resumed operations following government assurances and agreements among relevant experts.

According to these reports, the government and the Prime Minister's Office formed a special task force to address the technical and trade-related challenges affecting tea exports. Authorities also provided verbal assurances at the ministerial level that efforts would be made to resolve the issue.

Additionally, local governments, including Suryodaya Municipality, are committed to arranging storage facilities for approximately 3 million kilograms of processed tea produced during the season.

When the factories were shut, fresh green tea leaves began spoiling in tea gardens, causing estimated losses of around Rs 20 million per day, with losses potentially reaching Rs 100 million within 10 days. To prevent further economic damage to more than 100,000 workers and 30,000 tea farmers, stakeholders agreed to restart operations.

The industries ultimately resumed production after tea entrepreneurs, farmers, and local authorities agreed to store processed tea in warehouses until market conditions improved, while temporarily withholding payments to farmers.

None of the reports reviewed mention that Prime Minister Balendra Shah personally spoke with Indian officials or threatened to find alternative export markets. Nor has any credible media outlet reported such negotiations.

The Facebook page "Janaboli TV," which was among the first to spread the viral claim, has previously published misleading content, according to the TechPana Fact-Check Desk.

In reality, tea exports to India had nearly come to a standstill after new procedural barriers and quality-control requirements were introduced. As a result, tea factories in eastern Nepal began shutting down from 15 June, 2026. Operations resumed from 25 June, 2026 after the government's intervention and assurances.

However, there is no official evidence supporting the viral social media claim that Nepal warned India by saying, "If you don't import our tea, we will find another market."

Claim

Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) directly negotiated with India and warned that Nepal would seek another market if India continued obstructing tea imports, leading to the reopening of the country's tea industries.

Claimants

Facebook pages "Janaboli TV," "Greater Nepal TV," "Himalaya Dainik," and individuals including Padam Singh Dobal, among others.

Fact
Tea industries in eastern Nepal were temporarily shut down after India introduced new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and tightened regulations governing Nepali tea exports. The industries have since resumed operations. This part of the claim is true.

Actual reason for reopening:
The government assured tea entrepreneurs that export-related problems would be addressed by forming a special task force. Local governments, including Suryodaya Municipality, also committed to providing storage facilities for processed tea.

Agreement among the concerned parties:
Tea factories resumed operations after industrialists, farmers, and local authorities agreed to store processed tea until market conditions improved, while temporarily withholding payments to farmers to minimise financial losses.

Role of the Prime Minister:
There is no official or credible evidence that Prime Minister Balendra Shah or the Prime Minister's Office directly negotiated with Indian officials or warned India that Nepal would seek alternative export markets. The Prime Minister's Office did, however, form a task force and assured that efforts would be made to resolve the issue.

Conclusion

The viral claim that Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) directly negotiated with India and threatened to seek alternative markets, leading to the reopening of Nepal's tea industries, is misleading.

The industries resumed operations because the government formed a special task force, local authorities pledged support by arranging tea storage facilities, and stakeholders reached a mutual agreement to prevent further financial losses, not because of any documented direct negotiation or warning issued by the Prime Minister to India.

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