New tea factories to come up in TN

The state government will invest around Rs 20 crore to support the tea industry

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday said new factories would be started at Mettupalayam and Kundha with an investment of around Rs 20 crore to support the tea industry in the hill areas of the state. She also said workers of the Kundha Industrial Co-operative Tea Factory would get their one month salary as incentive in view of the golden jubilee celebrations of the factory.

Besides relaunching Ooty tea brand by unveiling its new 250 gm pack, the Chief Minister presided over the golden jubilee celebrations of the Kundha Industrial Co-operative Tea factory, the first of its kind in the Nilgiris.

Jayalalithaa also released the golden jubilee souvenir of Indco factory in addition to launching the sale of the 250gm pack of Ooty Tea from Indcoserve, an apex body of all the Indco factories in the Nilgiris.

Tea plantation in the Nilgiris is more than 100 years old. Though tea was reportedly grown here in 1839 on an experimental basis; it was only during 1855 that attempts were made to grow it in the district on a commercial scale.