GUWAHATI, Feb 9 - Noted tea planter and advisor to the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA), Bidyananda Barkakoty has been elected as the next vice chairman of the Tea Board of India at the 227th meeting of the Tea Board held in Kolkata today.
Barkakoty will serve the Tea Board as its vice chairman for one year beginning from April 1, 2016 and ending on March 31, 2017.
The Board members have elected Barkakoty as its vice chairman as per the Rule 9(1) of the Tea Rules 1954. As per the Tea Board Manual, which is a compilation of the Tea Act 1953, the Tea Rules 1954, etc., the Board shall elect from among its members a vice chairman �who shall exercise such of the powers and discharge such of the duties of the chairman as may be delegated to him by the chairman.� Tea Board of India is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
Talking to this newspaper, Barkakoty said his five focus areas would be to resolve the issue of price realisation in keeping with the rise in cost of production for the survival of the tea industry; more benefits and facilities to tea plantation workers; proper transportation and handling of green leaf, which will eventually help in improving the quality of made tea; proper schemes for small tea growers (STGs) and ensure that the STGs get proper price of their green leaf; and strengthen the research and development centres like the Tocklai Tea Research Institute (TTRI) and UPASI Tea Research Foundation (UPASI TRF).