Tea Board asked to allow mini and micro tea factories

The Assam government and tea stakeholders in the state have requested the Centre to direct the Tea Board to ensure that small tea growers are allowed to set-up mini and micro tea factories within their plantation area.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has requested the Union Ministry of Industry and Commerce to take this step at the earliest as this will lead to improvement in quality of tea.
"Quality of made tea will definitely improve as handling of tea leaf will be much less while processing in own factories," Gogoi said.
He urged the Centre to ensure that the Tea Board should effectively carry out one of its core functions of financial and technical assistance to the unorganised small growers.

The post of Director in the Directorate of Small Tea Growers, however, has not even been created till today which has hampered its function of supporting small tea growers.
The Chief Minister called for creation of the post and appointment of a suitable person to it urgently.
The Assam government had formulated a Cess Utilisation Policy exclusively for the development and welfare of small tea growers in 2011.
North East Tea Association (NETA) also called for the setting up of micro and mini Tea factories by a small tea grower or a group of small tea growers which was already decided at the Tea Board's Board meeting last year.