The Hindu Business Line : Kil Kotagiri Tea into rejuvenation, replanting

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Kotagiri Feb. 25 The Kil Kotagiri Tea and Coffee Estates Company has taken up the initiative of replanting and rejuvenation of bushes aggressively.

"We started the re-plantation exercise three years back. Initially, because of tight financial position and adverse industry-wide conditions, we could not take up vast extent. It was limited to 5 to 6 hectares a year. We have with proven UPASI Certified clonal planting material and by availing Tea Board subsidy, uprooted about 8 hectares last year. We are planning to increase it to 15 to 20 hectares a year and this will continue till the entire area is covered," its Director, Ms Sashi Devi Bangur, told Business Line.

Stating that there would be a continuous drive to improve quality and productivity, she said an investment of Rs 1.5 crore was made last year for upgrading the factory. "The process is still on and expected to be complete by March. We are also planning to install a modern Sorting machine to make better quality tea," she added.

Ms Bangur has been an active participant in the plantation during the last couple of years. "The rejuvenation exercise has started to yield results. We are now looking to acquire and strengthen our holdings further in this belt," she said.

The Estates holdings comprise 460 hectare under tea and about 140 hectare under coffee besides small acreage under cardamom, pepper and other miscellaneous crops.

Ms Bangur said the quality of the teas produced in the company's factory has since improved appreciably. "This is obvious from the rates that our teas fetch at the auction. Even when the average auction price hovers around Rs 95, our teas quote well above the Rs 100-mark. It touched a high of Rs 130- a kg at sale no 3."

The plant production capacity is about 9-10 lakh kg of made tea, but is now processing only around 7 lakh kg.