Marketing centre to be set up to promote TN tea exports: Ramesh

TAMIL NADU: Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Egypt have been identified for intensive marketing of tea produced in South India and a tea marketing centre would be set up at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.


At a function organised to lay the foundation stone for the country's second Spices Park at Kottagudi, 8 km from here, he said United Planters Association of Southern India would be signing a memorandum of understanding with a Cairo-based organisation as a prelude to tea-marketing strategy.

He said the new move would further promote tea exports from Tamil Nadu, which has 50 per cent share in the total tea export market.

The country's spices exports, which touched USD 1 billion for the first time last year, is likely to rise to USD 10 billion by 2017.

"That is our target and we are confident of achieving the same with the proposed establishment of Spices Park in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan," he said.

The Electronic Cardamom Auction centre at Bodinayakanur, established last year, had helped the cardamom growers get 30 to 40 per cent higher price. The Spices Park would help improve the export of spices by 30 to 35 per cent from Tamil Nadu alone, Ramesh said.