Board sees an opportunity in speciality teas for small growers

The Tea Board is promoting speciality tea manufacturing and marketing, which can bring lasting changes to the livelihood of small growers, particularly in the context of dismal prices worrying all stakeholders.

Led by Tea Board Executive Director M Balaji, two top officials of the Board’s South Zone office — C S Hariprakash (Deputy Director) and B Pagalavan (Assistant Director) — organised in Coonoor an interaction on speciality teas among various stakeholders.

Most small growers were surprised by the prices speciality teas fetch; this is expected to be motivation enough for them to go the speciality teas way.

Speciality tea manufacturers shared with the growers many aspects, including the quality of the raw material (the green leaf harvested by growers), the manufacturing process adopted and the marketing strategies followed. They also showcased samples of such high-value teas and explained their health benefits, too.

Tea Board Vice- Chairman B Kumaran and Board member Raman appreciated the participation of hoteliers and hospitals at the workshop as promotion of the consumption of speciality teas was necessary.

Balaji suggested solutions to overcome some bottlenecks prevalent in the marketing of such teas. He also stressed that speciality teas could open employment avenues for youth.

The participation of bankers gave hope to the players that there was possibility to get institutional finance support.