Kerala - Kochi   

Centre finding owners to run eight tea estates

KOCHI: The Union government is in the process of finding owners to run eight closed tea estates in Kerala. Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said at a meet-the-press programme here on Friday that a committee had been constituted to chalk out the course of action.

The Minister said that under Section 16(e) of the tea Act, 1953, closed tea gardens could be entrusted to new owners. There were 13 closed estates in West Bengal and two in Assam. The committee, comprising representatives of the Union government and the State governments, would meet on December 12 to take further action. A scheme under the Special Purpose Tea Fund would be launched in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on January 4. It had been already launched in West Bengal and Assam. The scheme was intended for replacement and rejuvenation of plants older than 40 or more years.

Under the scheme, Rs. 4,760 crore was to be spent over a period of 15 years.

The amount involved 25 per cent contribution from the Union government, 25 per cent from the owners and 50 per cent soft loans from banks and other financial institutions.

The Minister said the government would set up a global alliance for cashew. The partners in the alliance would be India, Vietnam and Brazil. The alliance was intended to be a confederation to coordinate trade and associated activities in the cashew sector so that the interests of the three countries were not harmed. Kochi might be selected as the headquarters of the alliance.

Laying emphasis on the need for a promotional body for cashew, he said a report had been submitted by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade on the promotion of cashew sector. The government was examining the report. India was the largest producer, importer and processor of cashew. The country was set to become the largest consumer too.

The Minister said a total ban on import of palm oil import would have multiple impact on other States. Palm oil was the preferred cooking oil in States other than Kerala, he said. The import was banned from Kochi on the request of Kerala. Coconut oil was being used in Kerala and nowhere else, the Minister said. “I am sensitive to the impact in Kerala, but we can’t take a decision unilaterally,” he said. The ASEAN nations were exerting pressure on the government for reducing import duty on palm oil, he added.

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