Producers of speciality tea varieties in the Nilgiris have some reason to cheer — the Central government will consider a plea by the Nilgiri Planters’ Association that the Tea Board be granted funds to conduct the pan-India e-auction of Nilgiris Winter Speciality Tea grades.

The auction, held with Tea Board funding through the Coonoor Tea Trade Association, had enabled quality tea grades fetch over ₹10,000 a kg. The average price itself was above ₹1,600 a kg.

However, the Nilgiri Planters Association said it was unable to continue the auctions as the Tea Board had withdrawn funding.

No promises

When this was brought to the notice of Rita Teaotia, Commerce Secretary, she told BusinessLine : “I will have this issue examined”.

NPA Chairman Mohamed Iqbal said: “Hopefully, we will revive the speciality tea auction this year”.

On the offer of the Indian Tea Association to suspend tea exports to Pakistan in the wake of the Prime Minister’s call to isolate Pakistan due to terrorist acts, Rita Teaotia said that the government has not taken any decision to ban trade with Pakistan.

She said that the government has also not decided to permanently have a non-IAS officer as Chairman of Tea Board.

“The appointments of members, executive officers and non-executive Chairpersons are under consideration,” she noted.

She confirmed that the problems voiced by the industry and trade regarding settlement under the newly introduced pan-India e-auction have been solved.

On GST, she said that if the tea industry had any concerns, it should share them with the government now as the processes of implementing GST was progressing rapidly and would be complete by March 2017.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW