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Tea market facing stiff competition

By Correspondent

JORHAT, June 28 � �To the Indian planters the export markets are not so rosy as the competition is intensive,� said Abhijit Sarmah, chairman, Assam Tea Planters� Association (ATPA) addressing the 73rd annual general meeting of ATPA held at Jorhat Gymkhana Club yesterday.

He said that the international market once dominated by Indian tea recently had to face competition from emerging tea-producing countries like Sri Lanka, Kenya and Indonesia. Maximization of export should be stressed to keep the former position of Indian tea intact in the international market, he added.

�Our �green� tea industry should seriously consider and foray into carbon trading business that would significantly influence our revenue flows for the coming years,� Sarmah said. He discussed the potential of the carbon credit, which is awarded to an environmental group for planting trees to reduce emissions by one tonne, in relation to the tea industry. The carbon credit can be sold to companies in industrialised countries through the Multi-Commodity Exchange of India (MCX).

He also discussed the recommendations of the Menon Committee like the land laws of the State should be amended to allow a greater flexibility in land use to stabilise income during lean periods.

Sarmah pointed out the hard times tea industry has faced this year. Till the third week of March, there were drought-like conditions, especially more in the south bank (Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon and Karbi Along) and when the rains came in April, they were incessant and continued through May, keeping the temperature levels low, thereby affecting the productivity of the tea bushes.

Basudev Banerjee, chairman of Tea Board of India, in his speech as the chief guest said that the small tea growers in the region had contributed to the tea industry to a great extent. He was also of the opinion that the implementation of the recommendations of Menon Committee would boost the tea industry.

Tapan Dutta, agriculture adviser to the CM, in his speech said that the regional office of the Tea Board in Guwahati should be upgraded and an additional chairman-level official should be placed there. This would help the industry along with the small tea growers of the region.

He also insisted on introduction of the micro-hydel projects by the tea gardens for generation of electricity themselves.

AR Kashera, vice-chairman, ATPA, D Bora, secretary, ATPA along with the representatives of ABITA, TAI, NETA, BCP, ACMS and ACKS were present at the meeting.

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