Planning Commission sanctions 50 posts for small tea growers' directorate

KOLKATA: The Planning Commission has sanctioned 50 posts for the small tea growers' directorrate which start functioning shortly under the aegis of Tea Board. The commerce ministry has set up a directorate exclusively to look after the welfare of small tea growers in the country.

The tea sector in the country is largely organised since 72% of the total area under tea cultivation and 74% of the total production comes from the organised sector with a total number of 1989 tea gardens spread throughout the country. The remaining 28% of the area and 26% of the production is accounted for by the small tea growers sector with more than 1.5 lakh holdings and the average size of the holdings being less than one hectare.

The directorate will provide effective extension services, better management of the entire chain - from plantation to marketing, quality enhancement, value addition, export potential and better price realisation.

The directorate officials will also tour all the tea plantations and estates to understand the issues and provide solutions. "This will greatly benefit the small tea growers to uplift the quality and garner better prices in the domestic market," said a senior Tea Board official.