New cooperative model for tea sector mooted

New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) Amid reports of closure of tea estates and suicides of workers, a trade Union has come out with a new model for the revival of tea plantation sector in Kerala.

New Trade Union Initiative today submitted a proposal for formation of a multi-state Workers' Cooperative to the Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh.

Initiative Spokesman Gautam Mody told mediapersons that the proposed cooperative would start with the tea estates in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and later expand the model to other parts of the country.

It also plans to replicate the Indian Coffee House model and promote Tea Houses all over the country.

He said the new model is desinged in such a way to revive and sustain the ivelihood security of workers in addition to ensuring quality and value addition in tea. It intends to use wind energy to run the factories which is not only cost efficient but also non-polluting. Production and export of organic tea is also on the ist of innovation that the cooperative intends to impement.

Kerala has 84,000 workers in tea estates with a total of two million persons dependent on them. Twenty two tea estates have been closed down in the recent years in addition to three estates which had been abandoned by the owners.

"The closures and abandonment has led to suicides and starvation deaths among workers and their families," Mr Mody said.

UNI SH VD VV2021