Indian Business Journal – December 2025
Summary
New, promising trends in tea consumption are spreading aroma of the wonderful brew across the industry—the December 2025 Indian Business Journal cover story "Indian Tea Industry — Aroma Of Hope" (Volume XXI, No 6, Rs 100) leads an issue that spans automobiles, agriculture, economy and governance. The tea sector, facing stagnant per-capita consumption for a decade, is seeing a revival through specialty brews, ready-to-drink formats and export diversification. Editor Amit Brahmabhatt's team examines whether the turnaround is sustainable.
Automobile "The Car War" (page 34) reports on CAFE-III standards igniting a row between small and large car-makers over fuel-efficiency targets. Spotlight "Looking Up" compiles H1 FY26 capex data showing both public and private sectors stepping up investment. Agriculture "Farming AI" explores how artificial intelligence can measurably improve crop yield and pest management. States "The Big Shift" covers UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Viksit UP@2047 vision. Economy "Flawed & Outdated" examines IMF data-quality concerns about India's GDP measurement. Focus "A Dazzling Fair" reports on IITF 2025 facilitating young artisans.
Management Mantra (page 30) features Kushal Kunder, COO of ANJ Group. Knowledge Zone At The Helm profiles Priya Nair, MD & CEO of Hindustan Unilever.
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Content Guide
▸ Cover Story / Agriculture
p.– · Indian Tea Industry — Aroma Of Hope
India's tea production reached 1,366 million kg in 2025, with exports growing 8% to 256 million kg. Specialty teas—Darjeeling single-estate, green tea and organic orthodox—now account for 14% of export value. The article profiles three small growers in Assam and Nilgiris that shifted to direct-to-consumer models. Consider shifting at least 10% of your garden area to organic orthodox production to capture premium export pricing.
▸ Automotive / Regulation
p.34 · Automobile — The Car War
CAFE-III norms require a fleet-average CO2 of 105 g/km by 2027, down from 113 g/km under CAFE-II. Small-car makers (Maruti, Hyundai) argue the timeline is feasible; large-car and SUV makers (Mahindra, Tata) seek a 2-year delay. The article estimates compliance costs of ₹1.2-1.5 lakh per vehicle for non-compliant models. Model your fleet's CAFE-III compliance gap now—retrofitting is 3x more expensive than designing for compliance.
▸ Economy / Data
p.– · Economy — Flawed & Outdated
IMF's 2025 Article IV consultation flagged six gaps in India's national accounts: informal-sector estimation methodology, corporate savings imputation, MCA-21 data timeliness, quarterly GDP interpolation methods, state-level GSDP consistency and price-deflator base-year recency (stuck at 2011-12). Track the government's response to the IMF's base-year revision recommendation—a move to 2023-24 base will revise GDP growth figures by an estimated 0.5-0.8 percentage points.
▸ Agriculture / Technology
p.– · Agriculture — Farming AI
AI-powered pest detection systems reduced pesticide use by 28% in 12 pilot districts across Maharashtra and Punjab. Satellite-based crop-yield estimation achieved 92% accuracy, compared to 78% for traditional sample surveys. The article profiles three agri-tech startups—Agnext, CropIn and Fasal—that licensed their models to state governments. Use satellite-based crop-yield data to improve accuracy of your agricultural lending.
▸ Governance / Development
p.– · States — The Big Shift
Uttar Pradesh's Viksit UP@2047 plan targets a $1-trillion state economy by 2047, requiring 12% annual growth. Key pillars: expressway network expansion, defense corridor development, the Bundelkhand industrial region, and the Noida-Greater Noida data-center hub. The article notes that UP currently contributes 8.4% to India's GDP. Track land-acquisition progress for the Bundelkhand defense corridor for early entry into ancillary manufacturing.
▸ Leadership / Interview
p.30 · Management Mantra — "Build Trust Before Ambition"
Kushal Kunder, COO of ANJ Group, scaled a Mumbai-based logistics firm from 12 to 1,800 vehicles. His rule: never add a new route until the existing route achieves 92% on-time delivery for 3 consecutive months. Achieve 92% on-time delivery on your current routes before launching new ones.
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Editor's Take
The tea-industry cover story is Indian Business Journal's most sector-deep piece this quarter—actual production data, grower profiles and export trends that are hard to find in this detail elsewhere. The CAFE-III automobile piece is timely and well-reported, with specific compliance cost estimates. Weakest content: the IMF-GDP article raises legitimate questions but offers no alternative measurement framework or solutions. The IITF fair write-up is promotional and thin. Production remains basic; the tea story included one useful production-trend chart. Best for FMCG executives, auto-industry analysts and development-economy readers.
Strengths
• Tea-industry data includes production, export and pricing trends
• CAFE-III compliance costs are quantified per vehicle
• Teaching AI article includes measurable accuracy improvement data
Weaknesses
• IMF-GDP article criticizes without proposing solutions
• IITF fair write-up lacks depth or business insight
Verdict: Recommended — The tea-industry analysis and CAFE-III piece make this worth the Rs 100 cover price for sector specialists.
