Centre starts constituting new Tea Board

The Board constitutes 31 members drawn from parliamentarians, tea-producers, traders, brokers, consumers, and representatives of governments from the principal tea-producing States, and trade unions.

GOHPUR, ASSAM, 23/03/2015: Women plucking first batch of tea leaves of the season in Bhulaguri tea garden in Sonitpur district of Assam on March 23, 2015. Adverse weather condition is affecting tea production for the second consecutive year in the Assam State and West Bengal according to the Indian Tea Association (ITA) statement. The total deficit in tea production in Assam and West Bengal, between January and mid-March 2015, is estimated by the ITA to be 5.85 million kgs, compared to the corresponding period last year.This year, between January and mid-March 2015 in Assam and West Bengal have recorded a deficit rainfall of 50 per cent compared to 2014. According to media reports, production for the period January to mid-March 2015 would decline by approximately 5.85 million kgs as compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

The Union Commerce Ministry has kicked off the process of reconstituting the Tea Board of India after a considerable gap of 19 months.

The term of the last board had expired in March 2014. The notification, appointing the members was issued on November 2, 2015.

The list includes names of ex-officio officials representing the tea-growing states of Assam, West Bengal Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura and Sikkim. It also includes owners’ representatives from most of the tea-growing States. The Board constitutes 31 members (including Chairman) drawn from parliamentarians, tea-producers, traders, brokers, consumers, and representatives of governments from the principal tea-producing States, and trade unions. The Board is reconstituted every three years.

While initially the delay was linked to the alleged policy paralysis of the UPA government, hopes of expeditious action with the coming to power of BJP led government too were belied. This led to apprehensions whether the government had some plans of recasting the industry regulator. This fear, as much among the Tea Board officials as the industry, was fed by the gap in naming a full-time Chairman for the Board. Since the resignation of M. G. V. K. Bhanu in December 2013, there has been no full-time Chairman of the Board.

Trade and industry has warmed up to recent initiative, saying the reconstitution could not have begun sooner. While decision-making has not been held up by the lack of a full board but there is no denying that its functioning will now improve once the full board is put in place.