The Hindu : UPASI's alternative marketing plans

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2003

Business

Business

UPASI's alternative marketing plans

By Our Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE JAN. 20. The United Planters' Association of South India (UPASI) is planning to float an "alternative marketing mechanism" peeved by the impasse caused by tea buyers who have been boycotting auctions for the past two weeks protesting against the Tea Marketing Control Order (TMCO), 2003.

Addressing a press conference here today, P. S. Walia, President, UPASI, and N. Dharmaraj, Chairman, Tea Committee, said "All the players in the producers' side, including Indcoserve and TANTEA, have joined hands to take tea directly to the urban and semi-urban centres". They described it as a `fall-back' measure. "This is not only our unanimous decision but also that of the Consultative Committee of the Planters Association of India".

T. Udayachandran, Managing Director, Indcoserve, said he proposed to write to the State Government to extend infrastructural facilities such as godowns to tea producers to facilitate their marketing efforts. Besides, he appealed to the Tea Traders' Associations to go ahead with the regular auctions and wanted the officials of the Tea Board to implement the directives of the Board. He also criticised a section of the buyers who tried to disturb auctions and declared that due action would be initiated against them.

To a question, the UPASI President said he would not rule out the possibility of "forming a consortium of producers" to take care of exports which was about 106 million kg from South India.

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