State tea plantations supported financialy
The tea plantations in the State have sought financial support from the Central and State Governments for revival of the sector.According to the Planters’ Association of Tamil Nadu, establishments in the manufacturing sector can take up several measures to overcome the challenges within a manageable time frame by going in for modernisation and technological innovations. “These avenues are not available to plantations because of the location and nature of the crop.”The producing assets of plantations are live plants. Tea bushes have yield life of 60 to 80 years and cannot be changed or replaced over night. A replanted plantation will require another seven to eight years to start yielding again. Further, under the Land Reforms Act, land under plantation cultivation can be used only for that purpose. Being land and living plant-based, there cannot be changes in the production line or products of plantations. Even in regular agriculture, crop rotation or crop diversification becomes imperative if one crop is not economically viable.“Plantation crops are grown in the environmentally sensitive zones of the Western Ghats.Because of ecological and environmental concerns, crop diversification or alternative land use will not be permitted by the Government,” an association functionary said. The association wants the Government to offer relief packages - either as cost sharing or as subsidy.
