High-profile Udhampur LS seat records around 70 pc polling
The Udhampur constituency sprawls from the plains of Kathua touching Punjab to the mountainous regions of Kishtwar and Doda.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Kolkata, 3 July
The Indian tea industry is facing many obstacles due to climate change ~ declining soil fertility, old age of plantations, dwindling availability of labour force and emergence of small tea growers.
The need of this hour is, therefore, to face theses challenges effectively and sustain the industry.
"This is the first time in the world an effort has been made to establish a sustainability code for the tea industry," Tea Board chairman, Mr MGVK Bhanu told reporters here today.
He said: "We will implement this code in North Bengal (including Darjeeling), Assam and South India." The producers who will be joining the initiative include McLeod Russell, Harrison Malayalam, Goodricke Group Limited, Amalgamated Plantations Private Limited, Chamong Tea Exports, Laxmi Tea Company and Confederation of India Small Tea Growers.
The sustainability code is being developed in partnership with IDH-Sustainable Trade Initiatives , Solidaridad and Rainforest Alliance, with the support of Hindustan Unilever Limited.
"Around Rs 18 crore has been invested in this initiative through IDH and Solidaridad," Mr Bhanu announced.
The code seeks to embrace sustainability principles to boost productivity, maintain safety standards to improve quality compliance, and inclusion of small farmers in the mainstream.
Tea Board is of the view that effective implementation of the sustainability code will enable tea industry to safeguard the plantation environment, welfare of the workers and small farmers, as well as long-term security of supply.
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