"Some tea garden owners are trying to plant rubber in tea gardens considering the financial benefits, but the state government will not allow this. Tea garden land cannot be used for any other purposes according to the act concerned," Commerce minister Jiten Chowdhury told reporters here.
Tripura Industrial Development Corporation chairman Pabitra Kar said that small growers started cultivation of tea in 1994 in the state and they numbered over 7,000 now.
"Our government encourages small tea growers as their prospect is good," he said.
"Over 10,000 hectare are under cultivation in the state which is six percent of total tea area in the country. Tripura contributes four per cent of total production in India, Kar said.
The Executive Director of Tea Board of India, Rakesh Saini, who was here yesterday said, tea production in India was reducing in the organised sector due to problems of investment, while production was increasing in small holdings.
"In the organised sector the production has reduced. In last ten years the country lost 50 million kg of tea. However, small tea growers produced 257 million kg of tea in the country which accounts for 26 per cent of the tea production last year," he added.
