JORHAT, Feb 20 - �The law and order situation in the state continues to remain a matter of concern for the tea industry, necessitating the deployment of the Assam Industrial Security Force at exorbitant cost�, said P K Nanda, Chairman, Assam Branch Indian Tea Association in his inaugural address at the 120th Annual General Meeting of ABITA held at the Jorhat Gymkhana Club, here today. He further added, �We have sought the intervention of the Ministry of Home Affairs to mitigate the cost connected with the maintenance of law and order in the state.
Nanda revealed that the Global Indicator (GI) recognition was granted to preserve the uniqueness of Assam tea and its flavour. He insisted on maintaining the quality of tea produced in Brahamaputra valley.
In his speech he also maintained that the 170-year-old tea industry employing about 10 lakh people is the largest industry in the country with 50 per cent women employees. Talking about the progress of tea industry he stated that Assam produces 51 per cent of India�s total of tea and last year recorded 12 million kg of tea production in Brahamaputra Valley in spite of the prevailing drought like situation.
The chairman was critical of the government of Assam for enhancing the green leaf cess from 32 to 40 paise per kg with effect from January 1, 2010 giving little time to the industry to recover from its prolonged recession.
