NEW DELHI, March 26 — Tired of having inferior quality tea? The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) has decided to come to the rescue by ensuring that the cup really cheers you, as a move has been initiated to get the tea industry under the product certification scheme for improving the quality of tea being manufactured in the north eastern region.
Lack of quality control on tea manufactured in the region often being held as one of the factors responsible for the present plight of the industry is likely to be a thing of the past if the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, which is sponsoring the move, has its way.
The move will not only help the consumers in getting quality tea but also provide an opportunity for the tea industry in exporting tea to other countries, claimed officials of the Ministry, adding that along with tea the cosmetic industry is also likely to be brought under the fold of BIS certification scheme.
According to an estimate prepared by the Ministry production of tea during April-November period was 709.19 million kg compared to 741.87 million kg during the corresponding period the year before, marking a decline of 32.68 million kg. Export during the period was estimated at 128.89 million kg as compared to 129.27 million kg, the previous year. The unit export price registered a decline of Rs 5.99 per kg during the last April-November period.
Sources said to cater to the demands that are likely to increase manifold if tea is brought under the BIS fold, the Regional Laboratory at Guwahati, a satellite of the National Test House (NTH) branch would have to be upgraded to a full-fledged directorate. The satellite branch was set up at Guwahati in 1996 mainly to cater to the demand for testing, evaluation and quality control of materials and finished products manufactured in the Region.
The NTH in North-East has a tremendous scope to play a vital role in the movement of growing industrialisation in NER, in both agro and mineral based industries. But it is possible only when the present set up is extended to cover efficiently the areas through direct contracts, joint ventures, consultancy and research activities among others, sources said. To take care of all this and more the present set up needed to be upgraded to an independent directorate, with additional laboratories for mechanical and electrical engineering. The laboratories would join the existing physical and chemical laboratories.
The Assam Government has already allotted a plot of land to NTH, with a Ministry making a token provision of Rs 50 lakh for construction of a laboratory building in the 10th Plan period. The Guwahati Branch Office (GBO) of the BIS that caters to the demand of the entire North-East in coordination with the various States through State-level committees (SLCs) currently has about 100 licences in operation under it. But there was a feeling that the States in the Region needed to do more by way of making policy decisions giving preference to BIS certified goods.
Meanwhile, the Department of Weights and Measures has launched a project to set up a Regional Reference Standards Laboratory (RRSL) for the Region in Guwahati. The project estimated to cost Rs 4.70 crore is envisaged to provide calibration facilities for measuring instruments used in the industries. The Project that is likely to be completed by 2004-2005 is coming up in an acre of land provided by Assam Government. The work on it is scheduled to start this year.