The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations (CISTA) has urged the Tea Board to issue orders to stop plucking during the winter dormancy period to retain the quality of the crop.
President of CISTA, Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, said in a statement that the Tea Board had been issuing orders for the last date of plucking and manufacturing for both large estates and STGs during winter for the last eight years.
It said that during the current calendar year, the last plucking date for West Bengal should be December 25 and December 20 for Assam.
According to CISTA, this is needed to improve the quality of the crop for the next year.
“Unless this is done, inferior quality crop will flood the markets and the industry will be in a distress situation,” the statement said.
The associations also demanded destruction of tea waste so that it cannot be reused.
CISTA also urged the Tea Board to announce the start of plucking dates in West Bengal and Assam by December, so that the growers can prepare themselves for pruning activities.
