50% subsidy to buy machineries from Tea Board

UDHGAMANDALAM: Tea Board would provide 50 per cent subsidy to small tea growers hit by labour shortage to purchase machinery that can increase productivity, a top board official said today.

The small growers would not be able to cope up with the acute shortage of labour and considering their plight, the board had decided to give 50 per cent subsidy for machineries, its Executive Director R Ambalavanan said here.

Speaking at the three-day Tea and Tourism Festival, he appealed to all the small growers, to register with the board, to avail various government schemes. At present, only 50 per cent of the about 45,000 growers were registered.

The board would extend its cooperation and help to fructify the efforts of the growers to set up Micro Tea factories, he said.

The festival was organised to popularise various types of Nilgiris tea among the tourists and also create awareness on the good properties of tea and its positive impact on health, Ambalavanan said.