Coffee plantations, too, have been brought under insurance

Siliguri, Feb. 29: Tea planters have accused P. Chidambaram of stepmotherly treatment.

“For one, there are no direct benefits for the stakeholders. Only some indirect sops, regular allotments and a crop insurance scheme for plantations to be introduced from next year,” said N.K. Basu, the convener of the state branch of the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations, a planters’ body.

Apart from the Rs 40 crore, which is allotted every year under the Special Purpose Tea Fund, and the crop insurance scheme, there is nothing new in the budget, added Basu.

“The minister seems to have forgotten that the government ought to share the social security cost of workers that we bear,” alleged Basu.

Prabir Bhattacharya, the secretary of the Dooars Branch Indian Tea Association, another planters’ body, said the sector can hardly reap any substantial advantage out of reduction in fertiliser costs, excise duty of tea and coffee mixes and allotment of centenary grant to the Tea Research Association or TRA (which will complete 100 years in 2010). “What we need are direct benefits,” he added.

Those associated with TRA, however, are satisfied. “The funds will be utilised for the upgrade of research stations at Nagrakata and Tocklai and the sub-stations in Bengdubi, Darjeeling and Assam,” said Pradip Ghosh, the chief advisory officer of TRA station at Nagrakata.

Stakeholder and officials associated with plantation crops, other than tea, are happy that funds for re-plantation and rejuvenation — on the lines of the SPTF — would be allotted. These include rubber (Rs 19.41 crore), cardamom (Rs 10.68 crore) and coffee (Rs 18 crore).

Along with tobacco, chilli, ginger, turmeric and pepper, these crops too would be brought under the proposed insurance scheme.

Cardamom is grown in the hills and Sikkim while rubber plantations are spread over 7,500 hectares in North Dinajpur, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts.