|
| North Bengal buoyant as tea gardens yield bonus |
| Rajat Roy / Kolkata Sep 15, 2009, 00:04 IST |
|
In the one week ending September 12, more than Rs 100 crore has been pumped into the local market of Jalpaiguri district as the workers of around 156 tea gardens in Dooars and another 144 in Terai area started receiving their annual bonus.
According to the North Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBNCCI), the market of household goods and electronics is now buoyant. "The dealers of two wheelers are unable to keep up with the demand and their stocks are depleting fast," said a jubilant Kishore Kumar Marobia, the treasurer and spokesman of the NBNCCI to Business Standard.
According to sources close to the Dooars Branch of Indian Tea Association (DBITA), after a gap of eight years the tea industry is experiencing a steady demand owing to the growing demand in the international market.
Because of that, the bonus this year has been awarded up to 18% which had gone down to 11% in the preceding years.
Most of the gardens have already made the payment to their workers and the small plantations which come under the category of unorganised small growers, have also started paying the bonus, but at a much lower rate of 10-12%. According to industry sources, last year, the total amount paid as bonus was Rs96 crore which this year will go up to Rs 120 crore.
A senior official of the plantation industry explained that since 90% employees who got the benefit of the bonus were workers, it was natural that a certain portion of the bonus amount would go to clear their sundry debts and the rest would be spent on consumer durables or household goods.
Marobia of NBNCCI concurred with the observation and said, "There is a sharp rise in the demand for clothing, motor cycles, television sets, refrigerators and other electronic goods. Also, good harvest of cash crop in Haldibari has resulted in a sudden rise to the demand for pump sets and other irrigation equipment. After some years, it is really festival time this year."
It is interesting to note that the impact of this is not restricted to Jalpaiguri or Siliguri markets. Since the gardens are spread over the vast area of Dooars and Terai, the markets in small towns like Binnaguri, Banarhat, Dhupguri, Hamiltongunj, Kalchini and Alipurduar are also having a good business.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Read Business news in |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Content Guide
