Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said that Assam tea boasts a 200-year-old legacy and continues to be the backbone of the state economy.
Speaking at the ceremonial distribution of benefits under the Assam Tea Industry Special Incentive Scheme (ATISIS) here today, she said, “The state government has taken several comprehensive measures to support the tea sector, including improvement of healthcare, education, and infrastructure in the tea garden areas.”
She said that through the ATISIS, an incentive of Rs 99 crore is being provided to 378 tea estates for the financial year 2024-25. This scheme is for incentivising the production of orthodox and speciality tea, she said, adding that this initiative aims to promote orthodox tea, green tea, white tea, Oolong tea, Singpho tea, purple tea, and speciality tea production while ensuring the long-term financial stability of the tea industry. The state’s contribution is over 50 percent to India’s total tea production, making it a crucial player in the country’s tea industry.
The ATISIS has four components – subvention of working capital loans, subsidy on orthodox and speciality tea production, subsidy on orthodox and speciality tea units for plants and machinery, and agricultural income tax holiday. The state government has announced an extension of ATISIS for another five years, i.e., till the financial year 2027-28.
On the other hand, the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association held a meeting with Industries Minister Bimal Borah and other officials on various demands, including a remunerative price on green leaf.
Speaking to The Sentinel, the association’s president Rajen Bora said, “We requested the government to ensure that the district-level committees meant for the fixation of green leaf price be activated, besides stopping the practice of the tea factories of Assam buying green leaf from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. We advocate for the introduction of a GI tag to secure the future of Assam tea. We also demanded the upgradation of the tea testing laboratory in Dibrugarh University and the Tea Board India approving the laboratory.”
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