70 pc of tea gardens in West Bengal making losses: TAI

KOLKATA: Nearly 70 per cent of the gardens operating in West Bengal were not making profits due to low price realisations, industry body Tea Association of India (TAI) said.

"Seventy per cent of the tea gardens in West Bengal are not making profits. This is due to lower prices of tea and high associated costs", president of TAI Vijay Dhandania said today.

He said that due to inferior quality of tea produced by the small growers, the prices were getting affected, adding that the average prices were down by Rs nine per kilo.

Regarding implementation of minimum wage in West Bengal gardens, he said that the state government had already come up with the notification after which the draft proposals were circulated.

Dhandania said that the quantum of minimum wage for West Bengal tea garden workers were likely to be announced soon.