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Kathmandu Saturday November 18, 2000 Mangshir 03, 2057.
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Govt to control illegal inflow of tea
Post Report
Kathmandu, Nov 17 - The unchecked flow of cheap Indian tea has become the
prime cause for the deteriorating condition of tea industries and tea farmers says Bal Dev
Mazgaiya, Minister Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister. He also informed that the
government is seriously considering of increasing import tax on tea.
Addressing a press conference organized here today to publicize the newly
enforced National Tea Policy Minister Mazgaiya expressed the hope that the newly enforced
policy would solve most of the outstanding problems of tea entrepreneurs. He opined that
the new policy would play a key role in stimulating the growth and promotion of domestic
tea industries.
The government last week finally made public the long-awaited National Tea
Policy 2057 with the core objective of safeguarding the interest of domestic tea
industries and tea farmers. Entrepreneurs and farmers associated with tea industry had
been demanding for a National Tea Policy since years, in the lack of which questions have
been often raised regarding government policy in developing tea industry.
Highlighting the different aspect of newly enforced tea policy, Minister
Mazgaiya also was hopeful that the implementation of the policy would decrease the current
cost of production thereby increasing competitiveness of the Nepali tea in international
market.
Mukti Raj Sharma, Executive Director of Nepal Tea and Coffee Development
Board said that the new tea policy is a milestone in the development of tea industry in
Nepal. He also informed that the policy has aimed to increase tea production to more than
46.1 million Kg within the next ten years, and generate rural employment opportunities for
more a hundred and 40 thousand people.
Among other, the newly issued tea policy also aims to invest Rs 2 billion in
the coming five years to increase the area of tea cultivation to 40 thousand hectors.
Similarly, the new policy allows commercial banks to invest up to eighty percent of the
total project cost of tea industry. The policy also clearly states that grace period of
five years in Tarai and 7 years in hills would be granted on loans extended for tea
cultivation and interest incurred during the grace period would not be capitalized.
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