Lok Sabha Question No. 376 (STARRED), answered on 2019-01-07
Subject: Tea Production
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 376 TO BE ANSWERED ON  07 th  JANUARY, 2019

## TEA PRODUCTION

- *376. SHRIMATI PRATYUSHA RAJESHWARI SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वा ͨणÏय एवं उɮयोग मंğी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the total production of tea in the country, especially in the North-Eastern States and Odisha during the last three years, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  taken  or  proposes  to  take  steps  to  increase  the production of tea in the North-Eastern region;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to promote research work in the field of tea production; and
- (d) whether any agreements have been signed with various universities in this  regard and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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## THE MINISTER OF  COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI SURESH PRABHU)

- a) to  d):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 376    FOR ANSWER ON 07 th  JANUARY, 2019 REGARDING 'TEA PRODUCTION'.

- (a): The details of total production of tea in the country (State/UT-wise), during the last three years is given in the following Table.

| State                      |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |
|----------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Assam                      |    652.95 |    657.24 |    676.31 |
| Tripura                    |      8.96 |      9.46 |      8.72 |
| Arunachal Pradesh          |     11.34 |     12.14 |     11.16 |
| Meghalaya                  |      0.31 |      0.52 |      0.47 |
| Nagaland                   |      0.18 |      0.81 |      1.24 |
| Mizoram                    |      0    |      0    |      0    |
| Sikkim                     |      0.08 |      0.08 |      0.12 |
| Total North Eastern States |    673.82 |    680.25 |    698.02 |
| Others                     |    559.32 |    570.24 |    627.03 |
| All India Production       |   1233.14 |   1250.49 |   1325.05 |

Source:  Tea Board

The State of Odisha does not have any recorded tea cultivation and tea  production.

- (b) & (c): In order to increase the production of tea in all the tea growing regions of the country,  including  North-Eastern  region,  the  'Tea  Development  &  Promotion  Scheme''  is being  implemented  by  the  Tea  Board  during  the  Medium  Term  Framework  Period  201720.The  main  activities  of  the  Scheme,  inter  alia,  includes  replantation,  rejuvenation,  field mechanization, factory modernization, quality certification and workers welfare.

Tea Board regularly undertakes activities aimed at promoting research in association with research institutions such as Tea Research Association (TRA), Tea Research Foundation (TRF) of  United  Planters'  Association  of  Southern  India  (UPASI)  and  others.    A  Quality  Control Laboratory (QCL) has been set up at Siliguri in West Bengal for undertaking testing of quality parameters,  pesticide  residue,  bio-pesticides,  bio-fertilizer,  heavy  metal,  microbiological contaminants, etc. in accordance with the standards of national and international regulatory bodies.

- (d) Tocklai Tea Research Institute (TRI) has signed an MoU with University of California, Davis USA (UC Davis) in 2017 to work on productivity related issues.  The Tocklai TRI also has a MoU with Kunming Institute of Botany, China to work on climate related issues.

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