By IANS
New Delhi : The government Friday announced a rehabilitation package for the revival of 33 closed tea gardens in a number of states, allowing them to avail loans and subsidies under a special purpose tea fund (SPTF) scheme.
"As a medium and long-term measure, a major stepping up of the rate of re-plantation and rejuvenation holds the key to competitiveness of the Indian tea industry, given the high age profile of tea bushes throughout the country," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said in an official statement.
"On revival, the gardens would infuse additional capital in plants and machinery resulting in an increase in crop yields and total tea production for domestic and export purposes," he added.
The government has also announced the appointment of expert committees which would be given the task of making an in-depth study of gardens lying closed in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Tripura and suggest a package of measures for their viability and revival.
The package is aimed at reviving the closed tea gardens in the interest of about 30,000 garden workers, which also has the potential to boost exports.