The Union home ministry has issued guidelines exempting the tea industry, including plantations with maximum of 50 per cent workers, from lockdown restrictions.

This was issued as a fourth addendum to the guidelines on Friday regarding the nationwide lockdown to fight Covid-19.

The addendum also exempts shops of agricultural machinery, its spare parts (including its supply chain) and repair; truck repair shops on highways, preferably at fuel pumps.

It says social distancing and proper hygienic measures must be ensured in each of the above activities as well as activities permitted by earlier orders. “It will be the responsibility of the head of the organisation/establishment to ensure compliance of such norms. The district authorities will ensure strict enforcement,” it says.

Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna told The Telegraph: “The state government has not decided anything considering the present situation of 25 Covid positives.”

Government officials say the situation on the ground is being monitored closely and a decision will be taken soon.

A few days back, a meeting of the council of ministers, chaired by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, decided that tea gardens can pluck leaves from Wednesday, but with a rider that they must take the consent of the deputy commissioners and abide by the guidelines of the state health department. But after the detection of first corona positive case, this was shelved.

Welcoming the exemption announced by the Centre, adviser, North Eastern Tea Association (Neta), Bidyananda Barkakoty, said resumption of work in tea gardens can be in a staggered/step-by-step manner.

“Our technical experts have advised us that to produce quality tea after prolonged closure, skiffing operation (removal of overgrown tea leaves) has to be performed carefully. After the state government allows resumption of tea garden operations, the Tea Board will have to step in for strict implementation of skiffing. All tea bushes may not require skiffing, but about 40 per cent will and it maytake at least a week to complete this operation. Thereafter, two to three weeks will be required for recovery depending on the weather,” he said.

“We propose a step-by-step resumption of tea garden activities. First plant-protection spraying and irrigation, which has already received permission. Secondly, there will be skiffing and maintenance of plantation from the date the state government deems fit and lastly, plucking and manufacturing after one week from skiffing permission date. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently stated about the need to ease the lockdown in a staggered way,” Barkakoty said.

Tea is also on the list of essential food products as per the list prepared by the ministry of food processing industries.

The Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA), the largest apex body of tea associations in India, said the shutdown of the tea industry due to Covid-19 at the beginning of the manufacturing season had virtually disabled the sector as seasonal production of the sector had ceased and the estimated loss of revenue would amount to approximately Rs 1,400 crore on a loss of 100 million kg of tea. The government has told the tea industry that the garden management has a huge role to play in this hour of crisis and they should keep a watch on people coming from outside.