date:Sep 29, 2012
abour strength in tea plantation has reduced, varying from 21.4% in Nilgiris and 30% in Annamalais in Tamil Nadu to 56.2% in central Travancore in Kerala, from what it was over a decade ago, the study remarked about the two main plantation regions.
Apart from the shortage of labour, Rodrigues also talked of the rising cost of fertilisers and pollution control measures, driven by export needs as major constraints.
Mechanisation a must
For mechanisation, we have recommended to the Coffee Board