Speaker of the HP Assembly Brij Behari Lal Butail hailed the role of the Institute of Himalayan Bio-resources Technology (IHBT) in improving the quality of tea produced in the Kangra valley by extending new technology and organising workshops and other programme
Butail said it while addressing scientists, students and scholars at the IHBT lab on the occasion of National Technology Day.
Butail said that tea industry of the country was going through a critical period because of some global problems. He said that to meet new challenges, tea growers had to adopt new technologies. He said the Tea Board of India had already initiated efforts in this regard. A project worth crores of rupees was in the pipeline for the revival of tea in Kangra.
Butail said under the project, the Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with the Tea Board of India, would take steps to replace the old tea bushes under a time-bound plan. A baseline survey would be conducted for the revival of all abandoned tea gardens in Kangra, Chamba and Mandi districts of the state. Besides, special stress would be laid on the production of organic tea that could fetch better price because of its high demand in the international market.
Dr Paramvir Singh Ahuja, Director, IHBT, Palampur also spoke at the occasion and reiterated IHBT commitment for extending new technologies in the field of tea and other produce of the Himalayas.
