Replanting to help tea cos raise yield

KOLKATA: With domestic consumption of quality tea growing at an annual rate of 3%, the Indian tea industry is going in for a massive replantation of ageing tea bushes to increase the yield. North Indian tea companies are taking the lead in this move and nearly 2% of the total crop area is being replanted.

Along side, tea companies are laying more emphasis on irrigation to withstand the climatic change that is affecting production. The total area under tea in the country is estimated at 3,58,000 hectare of which 70%-75% is in north India. KK Baheti, director of McLeod Russel India, the largest integrated tea company of the world, said replantation is crucial to maintain quality.

“In our company, we are constantly replanting our bushes to maintain quality as well as to increase the yield. In fact, we have already uprooted old bushes and replanted new bushes in 2% of our total area. The new bushes will take some five years to yield tea but we have done so with a long-term vision,” he added.

Monojit Dasgupta, secretary general of the Indian Tea Association, said, “The special purpose tea fund created to provide financial assistance for replantation and rejuvenation of the tea bushes has come handy for the planters. In north India, the response has been quite encouraging. But in southern India, the scheme has not been taken up by many companies.”

He added that 2% of the total crop area has been replanted in north India which comprise tea est-ates in Assam, Bengal and Tripura. CS Bedi, chairman of Indian Tea Association, said quality teas are fetching Rs 25-Rs 30 more in the domestic market. “This trend is encouraging tea companies for going in for further replantation,” he said.