The 70-year-old Tea Act is headed for an amendment aimed at overhauling the Tea Board of India amid falling tea exports worsened by the Ukraine crisis, according to senior government officials.

The amendment of the 1953 Act will come at a time when the domestic tea industry is facing further challenges from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Moscow being India’s second largest tea market. The draft amendment bill proposes to bring changes to the functioning of the tea board, so that it can act more as a facilitator than regulator.

Several obsolete provisions will also be removed from the Tea Act 1953. The proposed bills will promote ease of doing business and increase Indias footprint in the world market, said a senior government official.