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Centre taking steps for small tea growers: Nirmala

By SPL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, July 31 - The Central government has already amended the Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 2003, vide notification S.O.21 dated January 3, thereby providing for establishment of mini tea factories by small tea growers, association of small tea growers or a producer company which sources all the required tea leaves from their own plantation for manufacturing and have a capacity to produce not more than 500 kg of made tea per day.

Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman said in a Lok Sabha reply that the mini tea factories are exempted from obtaining any registration and no objection certificate for manufacturing tea. Only, a certificate will have to be obtained from the �Certifying Authority� of the Tea Board.

In order to boost cultivation by small tea growers, the Central government, through the Tea Board provides financial assistance to the small tea growers for new planting, replanting, rejuvenation pruning, irrigation and field mechanisation. During the period from 2012-13 to 2016-17, a sum of Rs 14.82 crore has been spent for the benefit of small tea growers.

A separate Small Growers Directorate is operational in Dibrugarh to look after the developmental needs of the small tea growers by way of extending regular technical support/training, helping them to organise Self Help Groups (SHGs) and motivating them for establishing their own processing factories.

The government has set up district-level price monitoring committees headed by the District Commissioner and District Magistrate to monitor the green leaf price paid by tea factories to the small tea growers.

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