Licences of 18 Instant Tea and Biofertilizer Units’ Factories Cancelled

Tea Board India’s Zonal Office in Coonoor has cancelled the licences of 18 instant tea and biofertilizer units’ factories for deviations in rules. 

Executive director, Tea Board (south), M Balaji said, “A series of inspections were carried out in the past three months in units in various places in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. And the reports showed deviations in at least 22 units. And they were issued show-cause notices.” 

The defaulted units are located in Ooty, Ketti, Coimbatore, Theni, and Madurai in Tamil Nadu and three in Kerala. According to the Tea Board (south), it was observed during the inspection that sold out tea wastes were found misused in recycling with added colour and marketed in rural shops. 

Further, on perusal of replies received from the defaulted units and their depositions and following the due procedures laid down under the Tea Waste (control) Order 1959, the licences of 18 bio-fertilizer units and instant tea factories were cancelled. 

As per the Tea Waste (Control) Order, 1959, we are supposed to declare a minimum of two per cent of our production as tea waste. But we have practically found that the tea waste can be as low as below one per cent and at times may go up to three per cent or more it all depends upon the fine percentage of green leaf and manufacturing process as it was already told by in August 2019 by North East Tea Association (NETA) adviser Bidyananda Barkakoty to INAS.  

Tea Board of India is a state agency of the Government of India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry established to promote the cultivation, processing, and domestic trade as well as export of tea from India. It was established by the enactment of the Tea Act in 1953 with its headquarters in Kolkata. Tea is one of the industries, which by an Act of Parliament comes under the control of the Union Govt. The genesis of the Tea Board India dates back to 1903 when the Indian Tea Cess Bill was passed. The Bill provided for levying a cess on tea exports - the proceeds of which were to be used for the promotion of Indian tea both within and outside India. The present Tea Board set up under section 4 of the Tea Act 1953 was constituted on 1st April 1954.