Bumper tea crop, but Kangra growers unhappy

vinder Sood

Palampur, May 21

With the Kangra valley receiving adequate rain this winter season, tea growers are expecting bumper crop. The plucking of tea leaves has also begun in most tea gardens of the area.

However, a section of tea growers rued that despite tall claims by both state and Central governments, no steps had been initiated for the revival of more than 3,000 tea gardens in Kangra and Mandi districts.

A tea grower said earlier, co-operative tea factories at Bir and Baijnath used to buy their produce. However, some of these factories had now shut their operations and some had been taken over by private parties. Owing to this, tea leaves on 1,000 acres could not be plucked in the last season and the situation was likely to be the same this year.

He said the government was aware of the situation, but no representative had come forward to their rescue so far. Another tea grower accused successive governments of discontinuing various incentives to them.

He said earlier, the marketing and development of tea industries used to be looked after by the state Industries Department. However, the BJP government attached tea cultivation with the Agriculture Department.

Tea growers alleged that the Agriculture Department had been neglecting the development and marketing of tea in the region. It lacked qualified staff to handle the affairs.

Sources said some growers had stopped tea cultivation, which had been replaced with different quality of grasses and it was proving more profitable to them.