THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The woes of Kerala’s tea sector are showing no signs of an early solution and the problems are being compounded by a drop in output and productivity, in addition to the prevailing low prices for the commodity.

According to the latest figures provided by the department of economics and statistics, Kerala’s tea production has dropped from 69,132 tonnes in '00-01 to 66,090 tonnes in '01-02.

Productivity has also declined from 1,876 kg per hectare in ’00-01 to 1,791 kg per hectare in ’01-02, forcing several tea plantations in Kerala, mainly in Idukki district, to lay off  workers.

The southern state has approximately 37,000 hectares of tea plantations, constituting 8% of the area under tea cultivation in the country, and employs approximately 84,000 workers.

According to Michael Kallivayalil, director of the Idukki-based Tass Hill estate, the low productivity is the result of Kerala’s dependence on old and low yielding plants. Eighty per cent of Kerala’s tea plantations are over 80 years old, he said and added that the plants need to be replanted with high yielding clones.

Plantation owners are demanding a relaxation in labour rules, waiving of plantation tax, land tax and agricultural income tax till the situation in the tea sector improves, and a lowering of wage rates to match the rates in Assam and Karnataka.

JOE A SCARIA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2003 06:33:26 AM ]