Key Points

Taking to X, CM Sarma wrote, "The bold and strong flavour of Attabarie Tea Estate in Sivasagar has been recognised as the world's best Black CTC tea at the 2025 World Tea Championship. As Assam Tea completes 200 years, this is a proud moment for our Cha Shramiks, estate staff and the State."

Meanwhile, recently, the leading tea planters' body, the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA), urged both the Central and state governments to extend the National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) scheme in the tea estates of Assam for the cultivation of oil palm trees.

NETA adviser Bidyananda Barkakoty said that the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in a letter to Assam government's Director of Agriculture on April 1, has agreed to extend the NMEO-OP scheme for cultivating oil palm trees on five per cent land of the tea gardens of Assam.

The Central government had issued operational guidelines of the NMEO-OP scheme in April 2022 for availing assistance, which would end in 2025-26, he told the media.

Barkakoty said the tea estates of Assam could not avail of the scheme because of land classification and certain other conditions in the guidelines.

Therefore, the NETA appealed to the Central and Assam governments to extend the NMEO-OP scheme to the tea gardens.

The NETA, in its letter, mentioned that oil palm cultivation requires substantial capital investment for planting, irrigation, maintenance for the non-harvesting period of the initial four years, etc.

Based on an appeal made by NETA, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has responded positively and has written to the Assam government's Agriculture Department to extend the support for the cultivation of oil palm trees on five per cent land of tea gardens.

According to Barkakoty, NETA has done an in-house study and found that tea and oil palm can be cultivated in harmony.

- IANS