Hope kindles at Ramjhora Tea Estate

Alipurduar: The proposed visit of governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi to the Ramjhora tea estate, 75 km from here, on March 1 has triggered a flurry of activity in the region.

No sooner did the governor’s office ask for a report on closed tea gardens of the Dooars, than officials made a beeline for two of them. However, the report compiled for Gandhi’s office covered six closed estates in the Alipurduar subdivision.

R. Ranjit, the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri, Bhushan Chakroborty, the CMOH of the district, and P.D. Pradhan, the subdivisional officer (SDO) of Alipurduar, visited Bharnobari and Ramjhora tea gardens yesterday.

In Ramjhora, the death toll has reached five in the past 10 days. Tikhey Lamijen Sarki, who had been suffering from a fractured spinal cord and had not been able to afford a treatment, died yesterday.

The governor’s visit has spelt some good news for the workers. Special rations have been announced at Ramjhora. An ambulance has been kept as a stand-by to carry the “very sick” to the Birpara hospital.

Pradhan, the SDO of Alipurduar, said: “We will provide special rations to the workers of closed tea gardens. We are conducting health camps too. The 100 days work scheme has already been introduced.”

Ramesh Sharma, a worker and a Congress trade union leader, said: “It is good that the governor will talk to us. We hope that this time he will do something for us, otherwise many more people and children will die. Most of the garden workers are eagerly waiting for Thursday.”

Source: The Telegraph

Darjeeling tea to come in different varieties

Darjeeling Tea is set to spoil you for choices.

Thanks to their innovative ideas and skills, some of the makers (about half a dozen of the 87 registered gardens) of the world’s premium brew are now coming up with super special varieties — white, green and oolong. This trend, it is hoped, will redefine brand Darjeeling.

“We have completely pha-sed out black tea from our Darjeeling gardens,” Hrishikesh Saria of Sona Tea Ltd told The Telegraph. The company has three gardens in Darjeeling. “We are now focused on producing only niche, stand-alone tea — those that do not require milk and sugar,” he added.

White tea, given that it is made from the most tender leaf (only one) and a bud (five-seven days old), can be produced only in very small quantities and are mostly handmade. “We can make only about 350 kg of white tea every year,” Saria said.

It is not only international demand but growing domestic consciousness that is giving the growers a fillip. “Though their numbers (domestic consumers) are still to grow, they are significant enough and our exclusive offerings like Avongrove Silver Blossom, Gopaldhara Red Thunder and Rohini Enigma have got an excellent response,” said Saria.

However, the major buyers of speciality Darjeeling Tea are still the foreigners. “Most of our speciality tea goes to Germany, Japan, Australia and France,” said D.K. Ghosh, manager of Makaibari tea estate. “They are, too, expensive for the domestic buyers.” The super-speciality tea is available at anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 a kilogram.

Not limiting itself to catering only to the niche customer, the Saria group is experimenting in drawing the masses into buying the speciality tea. “We are introducing regular variety oolongs at affordable prices (Rs 105 for 100 g),” Saria said.

Other than super-specialisation of produce, the Darjeeling Tea industry is witnessing new trends in packaging.

“It is perhaps the realisation of international marketing standards that has made growers focus not only on product innovation and branding, but packaging as well,” said Ranen Dutta, a tea consultant. “Never before had Darjeeling Tea such beautiful and impressive packages and containers.”

Sanjay Bansal, vice-chairman of Darjeeling Planters’ Association, said: “Not only will this tea be able to fetch more prices in the international market, they will add to the brand image of Darjeeling Tea.”

Source: The Telegraph