Temi tea garden to be fully organic by April 2008

Temi, May 13: Temi tea garden, the only such plantation in Sikkim, would be fully organic by April 2008.

Garden manager M P Chamling said here today this famous and picturesque tea garden began its foray into organic conversion from April, 2005 under the guideline of the the Institute of Market Ecology (IMO), a Switzerland-based agency.

''Before that we used to follow the conventional method of tea production,'' Mr Chamling said.

Since it took three years for organic conversion, the TTG had successfully implemented the organic measures under the guidelines of IMO in the past two years.

Organic bio-fertilisers like cattle manure, neem cakes and vermi-composte manure were being used by the garden, replacing the conventional chemical fertilisers.

The TTG, a state government enterprise, received the IMO certificates every year after inspection by the Bangalore unit of IMO, the manager added.

''Once the TTG is declared an organic garden by the IMO, our products will fetch higher prices in the market, '' Mr Chamling claimed.

He stressed that the natural flavour of Temi tea would be retained and no artificial input would be added.

He informed that organic products were safer and more attractive, and not only people from Europe but also Indians now preferred organic products.

Mr Chamling also claimed that as the TTG had not used chemical fertiliser in the past two years, the products were almost organic.

Consequently, the garden had directly exported 100 kg of bulk loose tea to Canada and Japan last month at a record price of Rs 2500 per kg.

Tea was derived from the leaves plucked in April known as first flush, the manager added.

Already a brand name in the tea market, Temi garden sells its products at public auction at Kolkata throught its authorised broker J Thomas and Company.

Temi tea, produced in four grades, find ready markets in European markets and Japan, said the manager.

''Interested buyers from Europe visit our garden regularly and place orders directly, '' he added.

Focussing on branding of its products, Temi tea also sells 30 per cent of its annual production in small packets under four brands - Temi Tea, Sikkim Soja, Sikkim Kanchendzonga Tea and Mystique.

Each packet contains 250 gm of tea and they are sold through individual dealers and tourism-based oultets.

The annual production of the garden flunctuates between 100 - 100 MT per annum, informed Mr Chamling.

UNI