State govt asks Kolkata Port for land to set up tea processing & packaging unit in Kolkata

kolkata: The state government is in talks with the Syamaprasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata, for 10 to 12 acres of land for setting up a packaging and processing unit in the city for export of tea from the state.

At the sidelines of a seminar on exports, Vandana Yadav, principal secretary, department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise, told reporters that the tea industry stakeholders have approached the state government requesting that a processing and packaging facility be set up in Kolkata near the Port area.

Explaining the need for such a facility, she said: “Most of the tea packaging gets done in North Bengal but in Kolkata the samples are opened for checking. Once opened, the tea is affected by moisture. Hence, this facility is much needed here.”

Further, she said that most of the tea being exported is done so in bulk. If there is a packaging facility in Kolkata then this bulk can be packaged here in smaller 200 gm marketable packages.

In case of such a facility in Kolkata, it can be processed and branded here before selling the final product

Also, she said: “Presently, tea is packaged in bulk here but the packaging, processing and blending happens in countries such as Dubai and Germany before it is further sent out to European markets for sale. Hence, the value is getting added there. The state government wants the value addition to happen in Bengal. We are in talks with the Kolkata Port for about 10 to 12 acres of land in Kolkata close to the port area.” She added that in such a facility the state government can set up the common infrastructure which can be used by all stakeholders and the rest of the final product can be done by a private stakeholder. Small scale manufacturers cannot set up a unit on their own and hence they can take advantage of the common infrastructure, she said.

She also highlighted that the state government is holding workshops with Amazon where farmers and other small-time manufacturers can get trained in e-exports by using the platform. “The returns will be high for a farmer if he can export his products.”