Tea Board of India deputy chairman Arun Kumar Ray on Thursday said the “zamindari system” in the tea industry where the owner stays in Calcutta and tries to run the garden from there will no longer work.

Ray said this while chairing a stakeholders’ consultation with Assam tea industry here on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the tea board and representatives of various tea associations in Assam.

An Assam Tea Appreciation Fest was also held on the occasion with companies showcasing their products.

The meeting was convened at the direction of the Union commerce ministry to brainstorm on the issues being faced by the industry with an objective to pave the future roadmap for the tea industry.

Speaking after hearing the different views put forward by tea associations, Ray said the industry will have to move away from the zamindari system where the garden owner stays put in Calcutta and looks after the garden operations from there.

“This system will no more work and the owners will have to be hands on. They will have to be on the field to know what is happening,” Ray said.

He said the industry will get the money required for its development, the stakeholders will have to implement the schemes.

“We are trying to get a tea promotion scheme which was lying with the Union commerce ministry for many years. If we can get it, there is hope of Rs 300 crore for tea promotion,” he said.

The deputy chairman said tea promotion will get top most priority in the next plan.

He said the subsidies have been coming down over the years in the tea board and the industry will have to look towards increasing tea consumption and leverage branding. “Assam tea is known all over the world and the stakeholders should ensure that it does not lose the edge,” he said.

Ray said labour costs will have to go up and the only way for the industry is to get better prices for tea. “There has to be innovation in marketing,” he added.

He tasted some of the teas which were on display at the tea fest.

Raj Barooah of Aideobarie tea estate requested the board to help the industry on the front end. Front-end business operations include marketing, sales and customer support services.