India's tea exports volume likely to grow by 5% despite challenges'
Kolkata, June 24: India's tea exports are expected to clock a 5 per cent growth this year in terms of volume, provided shipments to Iran do not get disturbed, said Tea Board Chairman P.K Bezboruah.
"There are some challenges in the current year in terms of tea exports. India's tea exports to Iran, which was a good customer last year, may get disrupted as the US has threatened to re-establish (nuclear programme-related) sanctions on Iran. The Centre is working on it so that bilateral trade between the two countries (India-Iran) continues," Bezboruah told IANS.
India achieved the highest tea exports in 2017 after 36 years, exporting 251.91 million kgs in the last calendar year, up by 13.24 per cent from 222.45 million kgs exported during 2016.
"The exports growth this year would not be spectacular but it is expected to go up by 5 per cent in terms of volume, provided exports to Iran do not get disturbed," he said.
Indian exporters are keen to regain its market share in Kazakhstan which used to import significant volume of Indian tea earlier, he said.
Bezboruah exuded confidence that tea exports will continue to expand in the UAE, the US, China, Russia and the Middle East.
Notably, the country had exported 256.57 million kgs of tea in the last fiscal (2017-18), up by 12.71 per cent from 227.63 million kgs exported in the previous year (2016-17).
In the production front, the crop production was at 1,325.05 million kgs in the last fiscal, an increase of 74.56 million kgs as compared to 2016-17.
Production of the crop is expected to be higher this year as against last year though estimated April production at 85.74 million kgs was down by 7.21 per cent compared to year-ago month, he said.
In fact, estimated tea production stood at 177.94 million kgs during January-April period of 2018, down marginally compared to 181.32 million kgs produced in the corresponding period last year.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
