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Push to replantation programme

CHENNAI: About 40 per cent of the five lakh hectares under tea plantations will be replanted over the next 15 years under a special subsidy scheme launched by the Centre, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Rameash said here on Monday.

During a visit to The Hindu office, Mr. Ramesh told journalists that 6,700 hectares of replantation would be taken up in the current year. Though this was below the target of 11,000 hectares for the year, the government was confident of stepping up the coverage over the next few years to complete the replanting in two lakh hectares in 15 years.

“The whole idea is to improve their productivity and make them competitive in the international market. Most of the plantations are 60 to 70 years old, while some of them have crossed 100 years. We are offering them 25 per cent subsidy and a soft loan from financial institutions of up to 50 per cent. The planters need to put in only the remaining 25 per cent of the cost,” the Minister explained.

He said tea exports had been further hit by the rupee appreciation, but the spices had held their market because of the niche they enjoyed. Coffee was also not so badly affected.

A similar scheme would cover other plantation crops such as coffee, rubber, pepper, cardamom, and also cashew and coconuts.

Asked about concessions offered to IT and ITeS companies, Mr. Ramesh said there was a cast to extend the current STPI concessions to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as well as towns. There was a felt need to shift the IT industry from the six major cities in which they had grown all these years. The recruitment base had expanded, but there was need to spread the investment and location.

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