Meet on tea sector in north

TT, 29 January 2020, Siliguri: Representatives of tea planters' associations highlighted the problems associated with the industry in north Bengal here on Tuesday as the Tea Board of India organised a session to know the deterrents to the growth of the sector in this region.

The meeting at the tea auction centre, however, invited criticism from certain quarters and none from the state government and the tea trade unions were invited.

"In north Bengal, many tea estates are facing problems as the subsidy that the Centre provides to the industry for plantations through tea board is pending. If the subsidy is released, it would largely help the industry," said a tea planter based in Siliguri.

John Barla, the BJP MP of Alipurduar, was also vocal at the meet.

"We often hear that tea estates are closing down in north Bengal. In such a case, the tea board can call up representatives of the concerned companies to know what problems they have and explore options as whether those can be solved. This can avert sudden closure of tea estates," said Barla, who himself hails from a tea estate.

"We are three MPs (BJP MPs from the tea growing areas of north Bengal) here who can flag problems of the industry before the central government. The stakeholders here should provide us with all necessary details," the MP added.