GUWAHATI, March 7 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said that tea is the identity of Assam and advocated that there should a synergy among the tea garden management, workers and Government to help the sector grow sustainably.
According to an official press release here, Sonowal, while inaugurating a two-day tea conclave to deliberate on the issues and challenges of tea sector at the Assam Administrative Staff College here,, said that tea industry has been carrying the identity of Assam since the early part of the 19th century and all the stake holders must put in their brains and minds for the sector to grow sustainably for facilitating a win-win situation for all.
Conceding that the tea industry, which is credited for its contributions towards the emergence of the present day infrastructure in Assam, has had witnessed a sluggish growth in the recent past, he advocated for judicious use of science and technology to restore the global image of Assam Tea and make it a house hold name.
He also said that tea industry in Assam is also responsible for lubricating the mechanism of transition from predominantly natural economy to a cash economy and therefore vowed to provide Government intervention to help the existing private players to help the industry to flourish and contribute to the socio-economic life of the State�s people.
Emphasising on the social and economic need to bring back the tea industry on a higher growth trajectory, he asked the tea companies to prepare a roadmap and assured that the Government will play the role of catalyst to infuse a new lease of life to the tea industry in the State. He, however, maintained that tea which has so far been used predominantly as drink alone, must go for value-addition to stir up greater demands of Assam tea around the world.
The Chief Minister further said that for the holistic development of tea industry, the socio-economic condition of the workforce associated with it must be developed. Realising this, the Government of Assam has been working consistently for the betterment of tea workers of the State.
