Fortune now favours tea cos after a decade
Tea Board has started scouting for land in and around Kolkata for setting up a tea park, which will help producers, blenders and exporters.
By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau |
KOLKATA: As the tea industry starts turning around after nearly a decade, the Tea Board has started scouting for land in and around Kolkata for setting up a tea park, which will help producers, blenders and exporters. This will be in addition to the tea park coming up in Siliguri.
The board also plans to set up two new offices in Jalpaiguri and Dibrugarh to serve small growers, who currently contribute a substantial portion to country���s total tea production of 945 million kg. An office in Arunachal Pradesh, which started tea production recently, is also on the cards.
���We plan to develop a tea park in and around Kolkata which will help tea exporters. This will be developed on a PPP (public-private partnership) model. We are scouting for land in Howrah and places closer to Kolkata. We expect to set it up in the 11th Plan period,��� Tea Board chairman Basudeb Banerjee told ET.
For the Siliguri tea park, the Tea Board may approach the central government for funds under the commerce ministry���s ASIDE (assistance to states developing export infrastructure and allied activities) scheme. The Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) has invited pre-bid document for development and management of the tea park, which will be a JV among the SJDA, Tea Board and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).
As the Tea Board is taking steps to facilitate exports, the chairman hopes that Iran will emerge as one of the key importers in coming years.
���There had been some problems with Iran regarding exports, which have been sorted out. A delegation from the Indian Tea Association and merchant exporters will be visiting Iran in December to talk to prospective buyers there,��� Mr Banerjee said.
The rising tea prices at the auctions have disturbed a section of tea buyers. ���They have told us about the price rise. At this moment, I do not feel that the prices are too high. After a long time, tea prices have recovered, which augurs well for the industry.The industry will now be able to sustain the high cost of production. If at any point of time, the board feels the necessity to intervene, it will do so accordingly. But at the moment, I do not see any such reasons,��� he added.
The board also plans to set up two new offices in Jalpaiguri and Dibrugarh to serve small growers, who currently contribute a substantial portion to country���s total tea production of 945 million kg. An office in Arunachal Pradesh, which started tea production recently, is also on the cards.
���We plan to develop a tea park in and around Kolkata which will help tea exporters. This will be developed on a PPP (public-private partnership) model. We are scouting for land in Howrah and places closer to Kolkata. We expect to set it up in the 11th Plan period,��� Tea Board chairman Basudeb Banerjee told ET.
For the Siliguri tea park, the Tea Board may approach the central government for funds under the commerce ministry���s ASIDE (assistance to states developing export infrastructure and allied activities) scheme. The Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) has invited pre-bid document for development and management of the tea park, which will be a JV among the SJDA, Tea Board and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).
As the Tea Board is taking steps to facilitate exports, the chairman hopes that Iran will emerge as one of the key importers in coming years.
���There had been some problems with Iran regarding exports, which have been sorted out. A delegation from the Indian Tea Association and merchant exporters will be visiting Iran in December to talk to prospective buyers there,��� Mr Banerjee said.
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The rising tea prices at the auctions have disturbed a section of tea buyers. ���They have told us about the price rise. At this moment, I do not feel that the prices are too high. After a long time, tea prices have recovered, which augurs well for the industry.The industry will now be able to sustain the high cost of production. If at any point of time, the board feels the necessity to intervene, it will do so accordingly. But at the moment, I do not see any such reasons,��� he added.
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