Tea Development and Promotion Scheme (TDPS)

In order to help increase exports of value-added tea from India, a new sub component for encouraging setting up of blending and packaging units has been included with an outlay of Rs 40 Crore.

The Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India has conveyed approval for the Tea Board’s scheme “Tea Development & Promotion Scheme’’ for implementation during the remaining period of Fifteenth Finance Commission Cycle from 2023-24 to 2025-26 vide F. No. K-57013(11)/1/2021-Plant (A) dated 22.02.2024.

The duration of the scheme will be from 2023-24 to 2025-26. The Board will declare a cut-off date for receipt of applications wherever these are invited. The scheme has the following major components covering the broad areas of Tea Board’s operation for overall protection, growth and sustenance of the Indian Tea Industry.

Tea Development and Promotion Scheme (TDPS) Objective Image

Objectives

The scheme is aimed at enhancing production, productivity, and quality of Indian tea and facilitating Indian teas to compete in the global market.
A significant focus is placed on empowering small tea growers, aiding formation/strengthening of SHGs/FPOs/FPCs, and enabling them to move up the value chain.
This includes fostering value addition in tea processing for better price realization and increasing India’s share in export markets.
Additionally, the scheme aims to better realize the potential of tea grown in the North Eastern States, and improve tea exports to high-value markets
Supporting research and development, technological innovations, and welfare measures for tea garden workers that are supplementary to the provisions of the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, are also being undertaken under the scheme

Benefits

The financial assistance for the Tea sector under the ‘Tea Development & Promotion Scheme’ has been increased by 82% from Rs. 290.81 crores to Rs.528.97 crore for the next 2 financial years (2024-25 and 2025-26).
A range of incentives are planned to be provided to small tea growers by mobilizing them into SHGs and FPOs. Setting up of 800 SHGs and 330 FPOs has been envisaged in the next 2 financial years with an increased assistance of Rs 105.5 Cr compared to 40 SHGs & 8 FPOs previously planned with an assistance of Rs 2.7 Cr. This will increase coverage of small tea growers from 1000 to more than 30,000 in the next two years. The assistance is aimed to increase their productivity and quality, greater value addition and thereby greater price realization.
The assistance/ support is for the common facilities like field mechanization equipment, leaf carriage vehicles, leaf sheds, pruning machines, mechanical harvesters and storage godowns
Assistance/support to the small tea growers is also for setting up of new mini tea units by SHG/FPO/FPCs for production of Orthodox, Green and Specialty teas to help small tea growers move up the value chain. The assistance/support is for soil testing for individual small growers mobilized through SHGs/FPOs and Capacity Building including through Farm Field schools for better extension services and upgradation of the skills of small tea growers on good agricultural practices/ tea garden management.
Significant increase in outlay has been made to promote Indian Tea in both domestic and international markets. The outlays have been increased by more than 10 times to Rs.72.42 crore in order to carry out extensive promotion campaigns for ‘Indian Tea’, including Darjeeling and other GI Teas, in international markets (to increase exports) and generic tea promotion campaigns in domestic markets (to increase awareness on, and promotion of consumption of, safe and quality tea among consumers).
In order to help increase exports of value-added tea from India, a new sub component for encouraging setting up of blending and packaging units has been included with an outlay of Rs 40 Crore.

Tea Development and Promotion Scheme (TDPS) Benefit Image

Eligibility

Registered with Tea Board or, in the case of small tea growers, have QR Code embedded Identity Card except where Tea Board does not register such entities.
The applicant Self Help Groups (SHGs) shall preferably be a registered body, in case not registered should have current resolution copy.
The applicant Farmers Producers’ Organization (FPO)/ Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) should be registered as a society / cooperative society/producer company
All individual applicants will have to submit the copy of Aadhar and Bank Account details.

How to Apply?

All applications for availing the schemes shall be submitted by the applicant online at Service Plus portal.

After successful submission of application, an acknowledgement will be generated automatically with unique ID (reference No.). The acknowledgement is a confirmation towards receipt of application and does not entitle or make the applicant eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.

The application will be scrutinized by the Tea Board, and acceptance or rejection of application will be intimated online.

Any application incomplete on account of lack of documents confirming such compliances shall be summarily rejected.

Wherever inspections/field verifications are required prior to acceptance of application, these inspections will be carried out by officials of Tea Board after receipt of application within a period specified by the Board as part of their service delivery

Post receipt of Inspection report, fulfillment of eligibility criteria and conditions and scrutiny of documents submitted, the status of application will be updated online as accepted or rejected.

Acceptance of the application is only a confirmation towards completion of scrutiny of the application and does not entitle the applicant for financial assistance under the scheme.

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