The Peria Karamalai Tea & Produce Co has initiated measures to modernise its existing tea factories and diversify into pepper and cinnamon planting as well.

Incorporated in 1913, this LN Bangur Group company is said to be one of the oldest black tea manufacturers in the country.

The company owns an area of 1,550 hectares under tea cultivation across four gardens at Karamalai, Akkamalai, Vellamalai and Nadumalai in Valparai, Coimbatore district.

The total annual production of tea from the gardens is over 40.5 lakh kg, the company’s Chief Executive Officer SK Singh told Business Line .

The gardens were recently awarded the RFA (Rain Forest Alliance) Certificate.

This certificate issued by INDOCERT, an international certification authority, is in recognition of the company’s adoption of sustainable agricultural standard under the Sustainable Agricultural Standard, July 2010 and Farm and Group Administrator Policy, January 2013.

Singh explained that the tea gardens were in close to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and intrusion of wildlife was quite rampant in that belt.

“We initiated eco-friendly measures including soil preservation, sanitation, and animal welfare. Our focus is to create a path for achieving sustainable growth by replanting tea. To generate additional revenue, we have taken up pepper and cinnamon cultivation,” he added.

‘The initiatives were audited by a separate team, before issuance of the certificate. We will now work towards improving these measures. The RFA certification is valid for three years,” he said.

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