Tea industry revival package gets Centre’s approval

The Union Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, on Friday announced that the XI Plan allocation for the welfare of workers in tea gardens has been increased ten-fold from Rs. 5 crore in the previous Plan to Rs. 50 crore. He said 30,000 families of the closed tea gardens in West Bengal, Kerala and Assam, who have been ekeing out a subsistence living, would benefit from this.

While making this announcement at the function held in Jalpaiguri in North Bengal to mark the launch of the Tea Rejuvenation Fund in West Bengal, he also said that the Centre had okayed a revival package for the tea industry. At the function, loan application of 45 gardens involving Rs. 15 crore was approved in the first round. Of this, Rs. 7 crore would come from the Special Purpose Tea Fund, while Rs. 4 crore would come from Central Government subsidies and an equivalent amount from garden owners.

About 500 hectares would be replanted under this scheme. Union Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee, and West Bengal Minister, Ashok Mukherjee, were also present.

Mr. Ramesh, who also spent three days visiting seven closed tea gardens in this region, said his visit seemed to have triggered new hopes among tea garden workers and prospective entrepreneurs and several expressions of interest (EoI) had been received for reopening closed gardens.

To further strengthen this sector, it had been decided to set up mini tea processing factories on the lines of the one existing at Jorhat in Assam, which would help reduce their dependence on the bought-leaf factories. A small-tea growers’ directorate would be set up in the Tea Board, Mr. Ramesh said.