Tea industry seeks ‘corona-cured’ label for Nilgiris

Tea industry in the Nilgiris, the largest tea growing district in South India, has appealed to the authorities to declare the Nilgiris as ‘Corona-cured’ district.

This follows an announcement by the Nilgiris district Collector Innocent Divya that all the nine persons who had tested positive in the district were fully cured and that there is no corona case in the district now.

“The tea industry is excited that this has happened because we have been manufacturing tea strictly adhering to the Covid-19 safety norms,” L Vairavan, Secretary, the Nilgiris Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers’ Association, said on Wednesday.

Small growers are equally thrilled. “Ever since we were allowed to carry on our field operations, we have been maintaining social distancing, application of sanitizers and undergoing regular medical tests,” Ramesh Chander, President, the Nilgiris Small Tea Growers’ Association, said.

“If the authorities declare the Nilgiris as ‘corona cured’, it will help us regain our status in the global tea market,” he said.