NEW DELHI, April 12 Asia Pulse - South Indian tea plantations have started to show negative growth in productivity due to ageing plantations and there is now an urgent need to undertake their rejuvenation pruning and replantation.

"Productivity improvements through short term measures have reached saturation levels and growth rate in yields have declined to (-) 0.01 per cent from 2.75 per cent a decade ago," UPASI (United Planters Association of South India) sources said.

They said with the government increasing development allowance to 40 per cent from 20 per cent for replantations, rejuvenation and modernisation it was an opportune time to take up programmes for augmenting production.

Though productivity of tea in south India at about 2,274 kg/ha was very high compared to other countries, with 50 per cent of the bushes being over five decades old, large scale rejuvenation pruning and replantation was required.

They said certain sections had been planted with the low yielding and uneconomical "China jat" which needed to be replanted with high yielding planting material.

Gaps in plantations had also occured due to unfavourable weather, indifferent soil conditions and root diseases. "Infilling" of these vacancies with good planting material was required for enhancing productivity of fields, but where vacancy was above 40 per cent replanting would be more beneficial, they added.

Sources said earlier pruning during hot dry weather had resulted in sun-scald injuries

(PTI)

Asia Pulse 12.04.2001

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Epidemiological studies in recent years have provided considerable evidence that tea drinking has a major role in rendering protection against heart diseases and cancer and is also anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-ulcerative, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial and germicidal. Tea is also known to reduce dental caries, regulate intestinal micro-flora and give protection against liver toxicity. Research has now definitely proved that tea is a disease-preventing and health-promoting beverage.

While research has proved so many benefits of tea, there is a need to create awareness of the benefits. National governments and influential agencies have to be convinced about how they can play an important and effective role in this communication.

Tea has an enormous market. The world consumes approximately 3.5 billion cups of tea daily. At an average of two cups a day per consumer, that is 1.75 billion consumers per day. It is unlikely that any other beverage, other than water, is consumed to such an extent all over the world.

Daily News 12.04.2001

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The Indian tea industry, especially the south Indian one, is keeping their fingers crossed since the fate of a Russian export order for 50 million tonne still hangs in limbo.

Though exports of the first shipment were to take place in April this year, no news from the Russian side has aroused serious doubts in the minds of the exporters regarding the deal.

Early this year, Russia had placed orders for 50 million tonne of tea with India to be imported in two tranches under the Rupee-Rouble Agreement.

This order was an outcome of the Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to India in October last year.

Speaking to Business Standard, United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) sources said, "Though there has been an inter-governmental agreement for the commodity, any actual off take to Russia is yet to happen. The importers from the country have still not contacted us or made any reference to the order."

It seems the market, which imports around 100 million tonne of the commodity annually, has suddenly turned cold to India and is warming up to Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam and other South East Asian nations.

"One of the main reasons is that they supply tea at a much cheaper rate than India," the sources added.

"While India is offering tea at around $1 a kg, countries like China, Vietnam and Indonesia are supplying it at $0.60-0.70 a kg," a trader said and added that these lower prices had directly taken away India's market in Russia.

Traders say that these countries could afford to sell at a cheaper rate since their cost of production was low compared to India.

UPASI added that it was unlikely that India would be able to export the first order by April.

Russia and the former Soviet Union was traditionally an Indian market and the Indian tea exporters enjoyed certain privileges under the Rupee-Rouble Agreement. Recently, India had also lost a huge export order for Libya to Sri Lanka.

Business Standard 12.04.2001

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