The Hindu Business Line : Pak keen to tap India's tea expertise

The delegation consisted of those interested in cultivating tea in Pakistan, including Government officials currently engaged in developing tea plantations and factories there. Another significance of the delegation was that it came here as part of the Commonwealth-sponsored management development programme for the executives of tea sector in Commonwealth countries.

The delegates said the programme was helpful in learning a lot about tea, particularly from the growing and manufacturing angles.

Even as India is obsessed with augmenting its tea exports to Pakistan, the latter is worried about the mounting import bill, which it believes, could be avoided if it puts to use the potential areas under tea cultivation.

It has already formed a separate Tea Research and Development project.

The Government has undertaken extensive survey of the potential fields which could be brought under tea cultivation as also the scope of building factories in both the Government and private sectors to process the leaves harvested from the fields.

Pakistan is keen on import substitution and the Government reckons that apart from lowering the import bill, this would give employment to many and develop alternate entrepreneurial scope within the country.

As Mr Muhammad Hussain, Project Director of Tea Research and Development Project in Peshawar, told this correspondent, "On an average, Pakistan imports around 150 million kg of tea annually. Some 30 million kg are also said to enter Pakistan through unauthorised channels. The imports cost us Pakistan Rs 15 billion. Given the population rise, increase in total consumption and the possibility of high prices, we have estimated that the import bill will soar to Pakistan Rs 2,000 crore in the next three years. This is a lot of money and we should aim at developing our own tea industry".

The country has identified some five lakh acres fit for tea cultivation. One of the primary steps is to form a Tea Board and the officials are now studying the constitution and functioning of Tea Boards in different countries, including India.

Simultaneously, the officials are exploring the possibility of appointing consultants and here again, given the success the Indian tea experts have shown over the years, Pakistan wants to invite the participation of Indian consultants.

In planting too, Pakistan officials are keen to enlist the support of the Indian tea industry. "We visited the UPASI Tea Research Institute and some plantations. We learnt for ourselves why India is successful in tea planting. Although we believe that the Indian model is among the best to follow, it is for the first time that we are officially seeing the happenings here. Seeing is believing and we hope to build closer rapport with the Indian planters," Mr Hussain said.

Pakistan at present has two factories — one owned by Uniliver and the other in the Government sector, but they work once a fortnight depending on the arrival of green tea leaves, which is in short supply.

Once massive volumes of raw material are available for processing, more factories will be built.

To facilitate this, the delegation visited some machinery suppliers and explored the possibility of importing machines from them. They also saw the functioning of some factories. Interestingly, Pakistan is also exploring the possibility of attracting investments from India on its tea plantations and factories.

"We want almost everything right now - technology, day-to-day know how, machinery and inputs as also investment. We will provide all possible cordial atmosphere to make these things work for our mutual favour," Mr Hussain said.

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