Plans on to revive Kangra tea

To revive the Kangra tea industry and to discuss the issues affecting the Kangra Valley tea industry, the Kangra Valley Small Tea Planters Association will organise "Kangra Tea-Vision 2020," an international conference, in association with the Department of Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, the CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishivishvidalya and the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology on June 2 and 3, 2007 at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.

The conference aims to evolve solutions to achieve by 2020 the required level in the improvement of the economic conditions of the tea community at all levels and aid and conserve the huge wastages in post-harvest management of tea products. The conference will be preceeded by a brain storming session.

This will be attended by representatives from the research and development, the government, industry, NGOs, farmers, financial institutions, national level facilitators of agriculture and agribusiness in the tea industry from India and abroad.

Kangra tea, which is also popular for its medicinal properties, had been facing a severe crises.

Most tea growers in the Kangra valley had stopped tea cultivation or have begun to use their holdings for non-tea plantation purposes. Of the four cooperative tea factories in Bir, Sidhwari, Baijnath and Palampur, only the one in Palampur has survived.

At present the total area under tea cultivation in the Kangra Valley is about 2,312 hectares.

Of the 3,679 growers, majority have small holdings ranging from 0.25 hectares to 2 hectares. At present, 625 hectares of land are abandoned and about 469 hectares are neglected in the area.

The convenor of the conference said: "Thanks to the research & development many alternatives and allied products connected with tea plantation involving high value Chinese hybrid variety have been developed. So, we decided that the research and development which has taken place needs to be exposed and shared between all those as is the normal custom in all such gatherings. The results of their tremendous efforts which are primarily meant for the benefit of the farmers need to be highlighted at this conference."

Currently, India, Japan and China are presently the only areas left where high grown Chinese hybrid varieties of Teas are grown and manufactured.

It is expected that the Conference would provide a platform for inter active conference which will result in suitable deliberations also a mechanism for necessary follow up.

He added, " The idea is not only to inform but also to encapsulate our efforts. This also needs a Change in mind set of policy makers to have another with planners, researcher, industry, civil society, Government, NGOs and of course amongst the farmers at the local, state and centre levels. The searches for local solutions have to be imbedded in broad terms."

"The Guest to this Conference have been invited not only on account the contribution that the Guests can make for reviving the tea industry in the Kangra Valley (KV), as well as contribution that they will possibly make to the revival of Kangra Valley (KV) and the high grown verities in the Tea Industry in other areas," he added.

The international marketing pressure have also resulted in providing a special place in The Kangra Tea Vision- 2020 inviting fellow planters from all over India and abroad to evolve methods of marketing which will provide the maximum benefit of results.

Besides that recently announced Special Purpose Tea Fund announced in the Budget is expected to play a pivotal role in reviving the ailing tea plantation in Kangra Valley.