Vision and Strategies of Tea Development in Hilly States Report of National Seminar VISION AND STRATEGIES OF TEA DEVELOPMENT IN HILLY STATES BY M.B. Tamangl and N.K. JainZ' The International Society of Tea Science helped organize a National Seminar by the Uttaranchal Tea Development Board at Almora on May 29-30 after a field visit to the site of new tea plantations at Kausani, Uttaranchal, India. The meeting discussed the feasibility of introducing Clonal tea on the land that once supported a flourishing tea industry and then abandoned tea plantations for some reason which is still not clearly understood. BACKGROUND tea in this region, the Government launched a tea Tea plantations in Uttaranchal are located between development project for rural development in the 28O 30' and 30°58'North. The British introduced tea hilly regions. In July 1994, consultancy was sough in 1836. Wholly china hybrid plantations were from (IHBT) lnstt of Himalayan Bioresource spread between 1500 to 2100 meters elevation, Technology of the CSlR at Palampur, who also which flourished in this area and brought accolades made available the services of a tea expert. First a for quality in London auctions. The area under tea seed nursery and later a clonal nursery was started. grew to 2000 hectares. But the tea industry went Tea was planted on land leased from smallholder into decline. Presently old tea plantations exist in growers who also found jobs for planting tea. Today less than 1200 hectares, of which 500 hectares tea' 350 hectares of tea have been planted on an area exists in Dehra Doon Valley in a rather indifferent of 9000 hectares identified as suitable for tea. shape. In the remaining area, abandoned tea Production per annum level is only 27000-kilo tea, patches are seen as cabbage shaped dwarf bushes valued at average of Rs. 3001 kilo but the highest or tall shrubs, ranging from a few dozen plants price paid for specially made 3 kilo tea is US $ 800 under scrub jungle to about 40 hectares in a per kilo, indicating very high quality of this highly compact area. Pockets of such tea exist in the flavored tea. districts of Pithoragarh, Champawat. Almora, Nainital, Chamoli and Rudraprayag in Uttaranchal. To consider the factors that would make tea planting a viable proposition, the Uttaranchal Govt. decided Considering the socio economic potential of to hold a national seminar and determine the best1 employment generation and economic growth, as optimum system of organization, agro-technology well as the need of greening of bare hill slopes, package, processing and marketing. A summary and in the background of the past performance of of the discussion at the seminar from May 28- 30 2005 is reproduced below: ' Tea Expert & Scientist, Uttaranchal Tea Development Board, Kausani - 263639, Uttaranchal. India 'Adviser Consultant SUMMARY OF ALMORA SEMINAR Uttaranchal Tea Development Board, Almora, Uttaranchal. lndia .Address for correspondence : A-298. Sarita Vihar. New Delhi - 76. keptics ask: in traduce India. E-mail : teascience@grnai~.com another farming system - horticulture, arable M. 6.Tamang and N.K. Jain crops, cattle or sheep rearing? To establish the 5. Organization: relevance of tea, socio economic and agro- (a) Present system in Uttaranchal for new ecological issues need to be examined. plantations, allows the Government to take the land on lease and hire smallholder 2. Socio Economic Issues: Introduction of tea on families to plant tea. When the production hill slopes under sparsely populated pines or starts, the Govt sells the leaf at Rs. 131 per grasslands, provides employment (700 man kilo to a bought-leaf factory in Joint sector. days per hectare) for weaker sections of the In this system, the breakeven point is society (women in particular), generates reached in 15 years. If the tea is income (2000 kglha X Rs. 200lkg) amounting manufactured by the grower himself, and to Rs. 4 lakh per hectare per year, which primes sold at the same price, the leaf-price margin the local economy. Intercroppingwith fruits and goes up and the breakeven point is reached herbs could increase income. However, in only 6 years. The Govt proposes to invite investment for planting tea at Rs. 2 lakh per private entrepreneurs for a tripartite hectare is heavy compared to other land use arrangement to buy leaf from the growers systems. and process it in private factories for marketing. The alternative organization 3. Agro-ecological Issues: In the fragile ecosystem systems, which were discussed at the of Himalayas, the effect of tea on conservation seminar, are described in the next of soil & water, flora and fauna is not well paragraphs. established. In-depth studies are needed to (b) Farmer's cooperative as adopted by evaluate the impact of tea plantations on Himachal Pradesh: Four cooperative environment by GBPIHED and on alternative factories were set up in Kangra valley to farming systems by The University at Pant buy the leaf from smallholder growers, Nagar, to compare tea against existing manufacture them in the cooperative secondary forest, horticulture, arable farming, factories, taking advantage of the scale of and animal raising. operation and sell tea through Calcutta auctions. Tea production of Kangra went up 4. Rejuvenation strategy: Abandoned and from 6-lakh kilo in 1984 to 18 lakh kilo in dilapidated tea plantations can be rehabilitated 1994 and the average prices increased from either by rejuvenation or by replanting. In Rs. 71- to Rs. 2001. But decline started with Kangra, rejuvenation of 2000 hectares supply of poor leaf standard, yielding low producing 6 lakh kilos in 1984, recorded an quality product that hit Calcutta auctions in increase in production to 18-lakh kilo in a depressed market. However, the decade. Uttaranchal preferred the route of new cooperative continued to pay leaf price planting. Cost-benefit should be done for each without linking payment to actual realization. situation. With accumulated losses, three factories closed down. If these pitfalls are avoided, Vision and Strategies of Tea Development in Hilly States the cooperative system is. a viable 6. Young Tea Management: alternative. Tea in South lndia is closer to the equator. (c) KTDA (Kenya Tea Development Authority) Young tea yields and input needs are very high model was suggested by one speaker. Half but the prices are low (Rs.601). Nilgiris has of Kenyan Tea is produced in this system, much more steep slopes. Cost of putting up which makes better quality tea than that soil conservation structures is very high. produced in the Estate sector. Commitment Rainfall is high and tea does not need to fine leaf standard, advantage of large irrigation. Vetiver is planted in a big way for scale processing in modern factories, and soil conservation. C leaf payment in two installments, linked to Tea in Darjeeling: Planting quality clones is receipts, has made this cooperative critical for raising Young tea in Darjeeling. Close organization a success story, like Amul attention needs to be paid to soil conservation Cooperative in India. and weed control. Low frame formation is (d) Mini factories by Japanese smallholder important. Darjeeling is fast converting to growers produce raw tea, which is then Organic for premium quality tea. refined and packed in large re-processing Cachar Teelahs are a very good example of factories. growing 5-ton yielding young tea in low hills of (e) Small-scale computer controlled processing North India. One speaker detailed young tea by each grower is suggested by developing management. Cachar grows Assam quality and 50-100 kg capacity machines, which are not flavory tea. linked to a network of computers and centrally guided by Master computer. 7. Water harvesting was considered essential for Quality will be excellent. But marketing establishment of young tea with irrigation in the needs to be centralized. Funds need to be low rainfall of this region. At present, most of allotted for design of mini machines. CSlO the rainwater is lost as runoff. Sprinkler, drip funding is required for to develop this and open channel systems of irrigation need to system fully. be compared for their cost-benefit ratio. (f) Bought leaf factories: In South lndia (and Assam), private bought leaf factories 8. Soil-conservation on slopes: is essential for receive the leaf from a group of small long-term health of tea plantations in growers who are supported in technological Uttaranchal. Stone structures alone or in improvements by the factory staff. The combination with vetiver plantation may be entrepreneur handles manufacture and practiced, as in South India. marketing. (g) PSU style of TANTEA organization where 9. Machinery: Modern Machinery for quality tea plantations were raised by employing manufacture is essential requirement for Srilankan repatriates does not appear to be sustainable tea industry in Uttaranchal. suitable for Uttaranchal. Computer controlled machinery design has been already discussed under organization at # 5 (e) M.B. Tamang and N.K. Jain 10. Organic Tea: was considered a panacea for socio economic and ecological factors can be smallholder growers who practice low-input entrusted to GBPIHED while alternative agriculture. Mr. Sanjay Bansal has offered to farming systems are the forte of GB Pant set up three factories to manufacture organic university of Agriculture at Pant Nagar. tea, which will be marketed by him. Inputs like However, research on selection of suitable local vermiculture and microbial fertilizers were varieties and development of agro-technology discussed. to meet the local needs of Kamaon Hills must be attended to by a small group of scientists 11. Certification of organic was discussed to make under an R&D Center at Kausani on the pattern it available for small grower manufacturers. of DTRC of the Tea Board at Darjeeling 12. Role of biotechnology for development of elite PROPOSAL for SPECIAL ISSUE OF clones was focused.