Tea companies claim revenue loss as Board decides to improve quality

Firms claim the board's move to shut tea gardens for a while, ostensibly made in order to improve tea quality, has not boosted prices

The Tea Board’s decision to implement mandatory closure and opening dates for tea gardens across West Bengal, Assam and other states has left at least six tea-producing companies distraught, with some claiming to be losing crores of rupees due to this move.

Last year, for the first time in its 40-year history, the Tea Board mandated that all tea gardens in West Bengal should be closed from December 15, 2018 till February 10, 2019, so that around 30-40 million kg (mkg) of inferior quality tea goes out of the market, paving the way for improved prices at the auctions. Assam