Plea to revise tea estate land use limit - Planters' body demands standing committee and long-tern plan for brew belt

TT, Siliguri, Jan. 15: The Tea Association of India has demanded that the state government revise the limit of land that tea estates could put into alternative use like tea tourism as it will help sustain the gardens and generate employment.

According to the Tea Tourism Policy, West Bengal, 2013, a garden in the plains or in the hills can give a maximum of 5 acre of land for tea tourism.

"We would like to urge the state government to revise the land utilisation limit as stipulated for tea tourism in both the hills and the plains. Also, we would seek clarity in the definition of horticulture and want that other schemes like dairy farming and animal husbandry could be introduced in tea estates," TAI president Vijay Dhandhania told newspersons at the 44th annual general meeting of the north Bengal branch of the association on Saturday.

"Utilisation of unused land for implementation of these schemes can help in sustenance of estates and generate additional employment," he said in the meet at Damdim in the Dooars.

He, however, did not say how much land they wanted to be put to use for other purposes.

The association has 40-odd members in the region.

Dhandhania said the industry in north Bengal was experiencing a drought-like situation for about five months in a row almost every year.

"Such adverse climatic conditions are causing immense loss. We want a standalone irrigation scheme to be devised by the government in association with the tea board so that planters can be provided with some relief and the industry can tackle such dry spells," he said.

Dhandhania said a standing committee should be formed by the state government.

"A standing committee should be formed to address major issues of the industry with participation of the state, tea board and major stakeholders. A number of problems can be resolved for the betterment of the industry and lakhs of people associated with it," the TAI president said.

"A comprehensive plan needs to be drafted with a long-term vision to work on major issues concerning tea belts of the Dooars and Terai," he added.

Assam is the top tea producer in India and contributes about 52 per cent. Bengal ranks second and produces 25 per cent of the total tea in India. For north Bengal, the total production in 2014 is estimated to be about 330 million kg, TAI sources said.