February 15, 2025

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Commerce Ministry suspends seven sections of Tea Act to hike output

The Union Governing administration has suspended operations of Sections 12 to sixteen, Section 39 and Section forty of the Tea Act, 1953.

The shift, designed by the Ministry of Commerce and Field, is probably to pave the way for increased production as a result of some excessive offer of tea in the procedure, which is by now reeling less than the force of decrease realisation, marketplace insiders reported.

Sections 12 to sixteen of the Tea Act, 1953, fundamentally deals with system of management of extension of tea cultivation, constraints to the extension of cultivation, grant of authorization to plant tea while Sections 39 and forty deal with penalty for illicit cultivation and elimination of tea planted with out authorization.

“In physical exercise of the powers conferred by sub-area (1) of Section 48 of the Tea Act, 1953 (29 of 1953), the Centre hereby suspends the procedure of sections 12 to sixteen, Section 49 and Section forty of the Tea Act, 1953 until finally further more order,” it reported in a notification in the official gazette.

According to a senior marketplace official, the shift would rarely make an impression as a bulk of the sections have been “blatantly flouted” all these decades.

Compact tea growers

“These procedures have been violated by folks, specially in the North-East, primary to indiscriminate rise in production. Now there is quite tiny land left to be utilised for plantations,” the official instructed BusinessLine.

It is to be mentioned that a spurt in production, generally led by smaller tea growers (STG) in latest decades has led to an oversupply in the procedure, thus exerting force on prices. STGs now account for virtually fifty one for each cent of the country’s full tea production.

The cost of production for STGs is much much less as when compared to the organised tea marketplace, which has to bear set labour fees. Labour accounts for virtually 70 for each cent of their full cost. The natural way, their margins put up with when the selling price realisation is not very good. STGs, on the other hand, can make income owing to decrease cost structure thus developing a dichotomy in the procedure.

“It is accurate that these sections of the Tea Act are now irrelevant. Governing administration ought to believe on how to handle the oversupply circumstance and enhance common selling price realization of tea,” reported Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, President of CISTA (Confederation of Indian Compact Tea Growers Association).