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Our Bureau

Kolkata, Jan. 9 The Union Ministry of Commerce will issue advertisements by January 15 inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) for handing over 10 — five each in West Bengal and Kerala — closed tea gardens to parties that are interested in reopening and operating them.

The draft EoI is currently being vetted by the Union Law Ministry.

The EoIs would be invited under Section 16E of the Tea Act 1953, Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce, told newspersons on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of the India International Potato Expo 2008 here today.

Mr Ramesh said there were 13 closed tea gardens in West Bengal. Two EoIs had been received in respect of Katalguri, while no bid has been received for Ramjhora.

The last day for receipt of bids in respect of these gardens is January 15. With regard to Samsing and Bharnobari tea gardens, he said talks were under way between the existing managements and the prospective new owners.

With regard to export of teas, Mr Ramesh said that while export volumes had gone down, in value terms it had gone up.

“In tea exports, we must stop chasing volumes,” he said, and added that “this year we do not anticipate a reduction in value realisations”. It would also be imperative to focus on export markets in Iran, Pakistan and Egypt.

Mr Ramesh said he had requested the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, to allow tea gardens to use five per cent of their land area for purposes of horticulture and tea tourism.

This, however, would require changes in the existing laws. He said an amount of Rs 4,700 crore would be spent from the Special Purpose Tea Fund over a 15-year period for replantation and rejuvenation of 40 per cent of the total tea growing area in the country.

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