Tea production down 6.7% in July, exports up 6.5% in 7 months
Kolkata, Sep 8 : India's estimated tea production fell by around 6.7 per cent to 151.38 million kg in July from 162.28 million kg produced in the year-ago month, according to data from the Tea Board India.
According to provisional data from the Board, tea export during January-July period was up by about 6.5 per cent to 133.21 million kg as against 124.99 million kg exported in the year-ago period.
In value terms, export during the first seven months of 2018 was at Rs 2,618.83 crore, up by 6.75 per cent from Rs 2,453.18 crore in the corresponding period in 2017.
Exports to neighbouring Pakistan, China and Iran went up significantly while the shipments to Germany and CIS countries were down.
Estimated production data suggested the fall in absolute term during July was due to drop in the crop production both in north and south India.
In north India, Assam's estimated production for the month decreased to 87.15 million kg as compared to 91.09 million kg produced in the corresponding month of 2017 while West Bengal's production for the month stood at 44.86 million kg, down from 48.02 million kg produced in the same month of 2017.
Taking Assam, West Bengal and others together, the estimated crop production during July in north India dropped to 135.27 million kg as against 142.81 million kg produced in July 2017.
In south India, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, the tea production was at 16.11 million kg in July as against 19.47 million kg produced in same month in 2017.
However, on the exports front, tea shipments to CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others, were at 33.53 million kg in the January-July period of 2018, down from 36.09 million kg exported in the same period of 2017.
Exports to the UK at 6.45 million kg were up marginally in the period under review, as against 5.54 million kg shipped out in the year-ago period while exports at 4.97 million kg to Germany during the period were down marginally from 5.06 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.
However, tea exports to Iran went up to 15.24 million kg in the period under review, up by over 15 per cent from 13.21 million kg in the year-ago period.
As much as 7.62 million kg of tea was shipped out to Egypt during the first seven months of 2018, up from 4.67 million kg in the year-ago period.
Tea exports to neighbouring Pakistan stood at 8.50 million kg in the period, up by over 48 per cent from 5.73 million kg exported in the corresponding months of 2017.
India's tea exports to China during the period were up at 5.78 million kg as against 4.44 million kg in the same period of 2017.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SIT to be set up to identify forest, revenue land as per SC directions: Karnataka Minister Gowda
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Saturday said a SIT will be constituted at the district level to identify forest and revenue land and submit a report in compliance with directions of the Supreme Court.
Speaking after inaugurating the Mulki taluk Administrative Centre 'Praja Soudha' near here, the minister said the long-pending issue of classification of forest and revenue land has caused hardship to farmers and the government is taking steps to resolve it on priority.
Joint surveys are being conducted to demarcate forest and revenue land in areas earlier granted to farmers, he said, adding that instructions have been issued to all deputy commissioners in the state to expedite the process.
Gowda said many farmers had faced problems as land granted to them earlier had not been formally regularised. The government has now taken up the task of completing the process. A special investigation team (SIT) will be constituted at the district level to identify forest and revenue land and submit a report in compliance with directions of the Supreme Court, he added.
ALSO READ: 'Unjust' war imposed on Iran should end: Omar
Between 2018 and 2023, plotting was completed for 1,948 beneficiaries in the district, while in the last two years, plotting under the 1-5 scheme was carried out for 60,943 beneficiaries, he said. Of these, 23,620 farmers have been issued pahani documents.
He said title deeds have been distributed to 2.20 lakh beneficiaries under the regularisation provisions of certain sections relating to house sites.
Under the e-Pouthi campaign, about 60,000 legal heirs have been granted mutation of land records that were earlier in the names of deceased persons, the minister said.
He also said a special drive has reduced cases pending for over two years in Tahsildar courts from 10,774 to 130, while similar cases in Assistant Commissioner courts have been brought down from 73,624 to 2,299.
Land records are now accessible online round-the-clock, eliminating the need for people to visit offices for certified copies, he said, adding that nearly 73 crore pages of revenue records across the state have been scanned at taluk offices in the past two years.
Gowda said taluk administrative offices have been named 'Praja Soudha' to bring governance closer to people. An additional Rs 1.60 crore has been sanctioned for compound construction and other facilities at the Mulki centre.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said efforts are being made to boost investment and tourism in the district.
He said the recent state budget has announced a Global Capability Centre for the district and steps will soon be taken to implement it.
A sum of Rs 70 crore has been sanctioned for a new OPD block at Wenlock District Hospital, while discussions are underway with three private medical colleges to strengthen clinical services at taluk hospitals in Moodbidri, Bantwal, Vitla and Belthangady.
Lok Sabha member Brijesh Chowta urged the revenue minister to resolve forest and revenue land issues in Puttur, Sullia, Kadaba and Belthangady taluks and said approval has been given for development of the national highway from Talapady to Kundapur with service roads on both sides.
