The Hindu Business Line : Centre to focus on new processing technology in plantation

The focus is now being shifted to technological research with a view to develop new process of tea manufacture, using the latest techniques of enzyme activation

G. Srinivasan

New Delhi, July 25 In order to promote value addition in the export of plantation industry, the Commerce Ministry is shifting the focus from cultivation to engineering aspects of production with a view to helping small growers realise greater benefits.

The Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, told Business Line that he would be initiating such collaborative partnerships between the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) and Tea Board in West Bengal on July 27 to develop tea processing technology, particularly for the small tea growers in Assam and West Bengal.

While it takes more than 20 to 22 hours for one batch of plucked leaf to be processed to black tea in the factories, the focus is now being shifted to technological research with a view to develop new process of tea manufacture, using the latest techniques of enzyme activation. He said IIT-K had come forward to set up an advanced R&D centre for tea technology at Kharagpur and an analytical laboratory and extension centre in the new campus to be set up in Rajarhat in Kolkatta.

Mr Ramesh said the activities to be undertaken by the proposed centre during the 11th plan include performance audit of the extant processing machinery and suggest ways of making them energy efficient and new processing techniques for different types of tea—orthodox, CTC and green tea

He said with Assam and Bengal accounting for 75 per cent of tea production in the country, the tea gardens in these States were prone to tea mosquitoes and pests (looper) during winter dormancy when practically there was no plucking of tea during October to January in a year. He said since the IIT-K had a well-functioning agricultural engineering department, the idea is to evolve new method of tea processing techniques to benefit growers.

Mr Ramesh said similar exercise by Coffee Board for new coffee curing process was also engaging the attention of the authorities. While rubber research over the years had paid off rich dividends in terms of improved methods of cultivation, the same exercise needs to be replicated to other plantation sectors, he said. Mr Ramesh said the United Planters Association of South India had done pioneering work in this area which should be spread to North and East India.

He said during his two-day visit to Kolkata, he would call on the West Bengal Minister for Industry and Finance to discuss revival package of closed tea gardens in the State. He said out of the 320 tea gardens in the State, 14 remained closed and one was reopened recently. For the rest of the 13 closed tea gardens, after the recent package of revival was announced, a lot of offer from new owners came. He said the Government was thinking of invoking Section 16(d) of the Tea Board Act for purposes of handing over the closed tea gardens to new owners, in case existing owners do not show interest in reviving them. He said the mandatory one month notice given to existing owners of closed tea gardens would expire next month.

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