Tea Board

It has been a single-point agenda for small tea growers in Assam's Lakhimpur district, along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, before every government for several years allotment of garden land in their names. The repeated pleas have so far not yielded any positive result, though they remain hopeful whenever an election approaches that their demand will finally be met by the new regime. "Most of the areas under tea cultivation here fall under the tribal belt. And hence, we are not getting allotment. We have been repeatedly urging the government to de-notify the area or make provisions for allotment for us as the tribal population in this part is not even 10 per cent," Jatin Chandra Bora, advisor, Lakhimpur District Small Tea Growers Association, said. Mentioning specifically about Bholabari, Dhalpur, Rajgarh, Rangoti and Simojluguri panchayats in western part of Lakhimpur, he said, "As per information from the office of the deputy director of economics and statistics, these ...

The Tea Board of India has written to registered auction organisers across the country, producers associations and buyers associations that it has been decided to revert to the old English auction system for which it has issued necessary timelines. The letter issued on Monday said that it has been decided to introduce the practices of the erstwhile English auction system under the ambit of the Bharat auction model. Earlier, the Bharat auction system was introduced in North India in April 2023, while the same was already in force in South India much before. The letter said that the Tea Board had already held consultations with NSEIT Limited regarding the re-introduction of the features of the English auction system in the newly configured software. While the Tea Board had earlier suggested dropping of sale numbers 39 and 40 in all the auction centres across India, the statutory body revoked the decision after producers' bodies said the tea companies would suffer financially if these

The government auditor CAG on Tuesday said that the Tea Board should have authentic database of the industry for formulation of policies and implementation of various subsidy schemes. However, Tea Board did not maintain a database regarding areas of extensions of tea plantations, replacement and replanting of tea, age of tea bushes, district-wise yield, and labour productivity rate of the tea industry. It also said that the board has disbursed subsidy amounting to Rs 12.87 crore without adhering to certain guidelines under various schemes such as Plantation Development Scheme, Quality Upgradation and Product Diversification Scheme and Orthodox and Green Tea Production Scheme. It said that although the levy of fees for the issuance of planting permits was approved by the Board, non-collection of the same has resulted in the loss of revenue of Rs 41.36 lakh. "Due to delay in implementation of provisions of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Tea Board did not collect the same on licenses .

Exports gained when production in troubled island nation dropped sharply in 2022; to maintain that momentum as its competitor bounces back, domestic industry's challenge will be to focus on quality

Sri Lanka crisis, sanctions on Russia that made sourcing from other countries difficult help domestic industry post better numbers

Exports of tea from India increased by 14.8 per cent to 140.28 million kilograms in the first eight months of the 2022 calendar year, according to Tea Board data. Tea shipments during the January-August period in 2021 stood at 122.18 million kilograms (mkgs). The CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, remained the largest importer of Indian tea with 30.56 mkgs in the first eight months of 2022, marginally higher than 29.13 mkgs shipped out to these nations in the year-ago period, the data said. Sources in the industry said that tea exports did not pick up substantially due to shipping and container costs which skyrocketed due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. After the CIS countries, UAE was the second largest importer at 23.84 mkgs, a rise of 157 per cent from 9.27 mkgs in the similar period in 2021. Owing to economic sanctions imposed by the US on Iran, tea shipments to the west Asian country also failed to increase in the first eight months of 2022. Expo

'Tea price trajectory of the last decade reflects a prolonged phase of stagnation in price growth which consequently pushed a large segment of the industry into crisis'

The Tea Board has sought an assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for the industry in the next five years starting 2022-23. Chairman of Tea Board Saurav Pahari said that in the budget submitted to the Union Commerce ministry, focus has been on handholding the small tea growers (STGs) which contribute to 52 per cent of the total production in the country. "We have sought an assistance of Rs 1,000 crore in the budget submitted to the ministry for a period of five years starting 2022-23", Pahari told reporters after the AGM of Indian Tea Association (ITA) here on Thursday. He said that the budget is primarily intended to handhold the STGs which contribute to 52 per cent of the country's production volumes. Pahari said the Tea 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 collaborative effort between the big tea planters and the STGs for

The Tea Board, in its notification, has kept the sanctity of GI intact and allowed blending only for teas not claiming the GI mark

Existing notification bars blending imported tea with GI-tagged Indian varieties; Sources said commerce ministry left it to the Board to take a reasoned call on modification

Data available on the Tea Board website showed that India's production in 2020-2021 had stood at 1,283.03 million kg and volumes at the auctions were around 547 mkg

As an initiative, ex-factory auctions can be organised from satellite warehouse points instead of tea being brought to Guwahati for sale

There was a huge oversupply of tea last year and this was corrected to a large extent when the Tea Board ordered non-plucking of tea in December, he said

For Assam alone, output in April plunged 76% from a year ago to 10.99 million kg, the Tea Board said

Indian tea growers should focus more on orthodox tea manufacturing which has a good export market

Campaign to showcase Assam variety starts in Odisha, will be taken to other states soon

He said that the Tea Board's role should only be restricted to issuing licences for opening up the auction centres after duly checking their financial capabilities

Tea Board deputy chairman Arun Kr Ray said that this exercise is required for long-term sustainability of the industry as costs are rising and prices of tea have been flat at auctions

After losing a case in the Calcutta HC against ITC over a trademark issue, the board has appealed to the Division Bench of the same court and it is hopeful that the issue can be sorted out amicably

Plans are to trace the movement tea across the supply chain, from plantation to sale