http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110406/jsp/northeast/story_13813501.jsp
Chaygaon nest for tea park debut
- Green signal for the cup that cheers
ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Guwahati, April 5: The region’s first tea park is set to come up at Chaygaon in Kamrup district in a year-and-a-half.
The Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd will be setting up the tea park with an objective to create world class facilities for processing, warehousing, blending and packaging of tea.
“A pre-feasibility report has already been prepared,” an official told The Telegraph today, adding that help from the Centre under the Assistance to State for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities (ASIDE) has been proposed.
Sources said considerable progress had been made and 85 bighas of a total of 153 bighas had already been acquired for the tea park.
A meeting of the state-level export promotion committee of ASIDE was recently held in which the tea park scheme was thoroughly discussed and the green signal given.
The objective of the scheme is to involve the states in the export effort by providing assistance to the state governments for creating appropriate infrastructure for the development and growth of exports.
The state-level export promotion committee of ASIDE has approved an amount of Rs 2,340 lakh of which grant under ASIDE will be Rs 1,680 lakh.
“The tea park will contribute towards gearing up tea oriented industrial and commercial activities besides boosting export of Assam tea” the official said.
A lot of deliberations were made by stakeholders on the proposed tea park, its nature, character and the area where such land will be available.
“It is not necessary that the land should be in Guwahati; it can be anywhere but should have all the facilities,” the official said.
The tea park will be on public-private-partnership model and the earmarked land will be a fully developed one with all facilities.
“The state government has given full support to the project and the private sector should now come up to back it,” the official said.
According to tea industry officials, tea industry in Assam employs about a million people, both permanent and casual, with another three million living off this industry. The continued viability of the tea industry is of paramount importance to sustain the survival of the large rural population it supports and its role in the economic development of the areas where the operations are based.
The total turnover of this industry in Assam is about Rs 5,000 crore. Assam produces 51 per cent of India’s tea.
Another scheme for improving the infrastructure of the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) has also been taken up under the central scheme in view of the growing activities in the tea sector.
The official said though an amount of Rs 168 lakh had been proposed under the project, financial assistance is sought for 50 per cent under the scheme.
“The balance amount will be raised from own resources of the GTAC,” the official said.
eom
Chaygaon nest for tea park debut
- Green signal for the cup that cheers
ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Guwahati, April 5: The region’s first tea park is set to come up at Chaygaon in Kamrup district in a year-and-a-half.
The Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd will be setting up the tea park with an objective to create world class facilities for processing, warehousing, blending and packaging of tea.
“A pre-feasibility report has already been prepared,” an official told The Telegraph today, adding that help from the Centre under the Assistance to State for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities (ASIDE) has been proposed.
Sources said considerable progress had been made and 85 bighas of a total of 153 bighas had already been acquired for the tea park.
A meeting of the state-level export promotion committee of ASIDE was recently held in which the tea park scheme was thoroughly discussed and the green signal given.
The objective of the scheme is to involve the states in the export effort by providing assistance to the state governments for creating appropriate infrastructure for the development and growth of exports.
The state-level export promotion committee of ASIDE has approved an amount of Rs 2,340 lakh of which grant under ASIDE will be Rs 1,680 lakh.
“The tea park will contribute towards gearing up tea oriented industrial and commercial activities besides boosting export of Assam tea” the official said.
A lot of deliberations were made by stakeholders on the proposed tea park, its nature, character and the area where such land will be available.
“It is not necessary that the land should be in Guwahati; it can be anywhere but should have all the facilities,” the official said.
The tea park will be on public-private-partnership model and the earmarked land will be a fully developed one with all facilities.
“The state government has given full support to the project and the private sector should now come up to back it,” the official said.
According to tea industry officials, tea industry in Assam employs about a million people, both permanent and casual, with another three million living off this industry. The continued viability of the tea industry is of paramount importance to sustain the survival of the large rural population it supports and its role in the economic development of the areas where the operations are based.
The total turnover of this industry in Assam is about Rs 5,000 crore. Assam produces 51 per cent of India’s tea.
Another scheme for improving the infrastructure of the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) has also been taken up under the central scheme in view of the growing activities in the tea sector.
The official said though an amount of Rs 168 lakh had been proposed under the project, financial assistance is sought for 50 per cent under the scheme.
“The balance amount will be raised from own resources of the GTAC,” the official said.
eom
No comments:
Post a Comment