Eco-friendly cuppa just a click away
United Nations sanctions $2 million for small tea processing units in Nilgiris.
By Gayathri G, TNN |
COIMBATORE: There is some cheer in the cuppa. As the world tries to climate-proof everything, your cuppa is also no exception and is soon to become a bit more environment friendly.
A United Nations project being launched in the Nilgiris district will help about 30 tea factories build mini-hydropower dams to cut their energy costs, and maybe even export clean electricity to the state grid or rural electrification schemes.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have approved a $2 million project for the small tea processing units in the Nilgiris district. The four-year project, beginning from October this year, aims at improving the energy efficiency of these units, most of which use firewood as fuel. The project aims at reducing emission of green house gases and cutting the costs of tea manufacturing.
According to Tea Board executive director (South) RD Nazeem, while the GEF would contribute $1 million, the rest would come from the Tea Board and the various stakeholders of the plantation industry.
The Niligris region, with 62,000 small growers, has the world’s second highest concentration of small growers after Kenya.
The 30 units picked up for the project burn around half a unit of electricity and 1.5 kg of firewood to make one kg of tea. “In Nilgiris, 100 million units of electricity and three lakh tonnes of firewood are used annually releasing 5.4 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide. This project aims at cutting down the gas emission by 20%,” Mr Nazeem added.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have approved a $2 million project for the small tea processing units in the Nilgiris district. The four-year project, beginning from October this year, aims at improving the energy efficiency of these units, most of which use firewood as fuel. The project aims at reducing emission of green house gases and cutting the costs of tea manufacturing.
According to Tea Board executive director (South) RD Nazeem, while the GEF would contribute $1 million, the rest would come from the Tea Board and the various stakeholders of the plantation industry.
The Niligris region, with 62,000 small growers, has the world’s second highest concentration of small growers after Kenya.
The 30 units picked up for the project burn around half a unit of electricity and 1.5 kg of firewood to make one kg of tea. “In Nilgiris, 100 million units of electricity and three lakh tonnes of firewood are used annually releasing 5.4 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide. This project aims at cutting down the gas emission by 20%,” Mr Nazeem added.
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