Chairman of Tea Board Saurav Pahari said that the Tea Board has sought an assistance of Rs 1000 crore for the industry for a period of five years starting 2022-23. He also said that in the budget submitted to the commerce ministry, the focus has been on handholding the small tea growers (STGs) which contribute to 52 per cent of the total production in the country.
Pahari said that the budget is primarily intended to handhold the STGs which contribute to 52 per cent of the country's production volumes. He said that the Board had also sought subsidy for orthodox tea production which has a good export market. It is good to note that the tea industry on the whole now acknowledges the contribution of the STGs. It should be a collaborative effort between the big tea planters and the STGs for the development of the industry.
He further said tea exports had plummeted but now are picking up. However, domestic production has not picked up as expected. India needs to build the brand image of tea. He also said that technology has to be adopted to optimise the use of labour in the industry, while production costs have to be kept within control to ensure profitability.
