Small planters have already made much headway in the green leaves production in Mon and Mokokchung districts of the State, adjoining tea growing areas of Assam.

The Tea Board has come forward to provide both technical and financial assistance to Naga tea growers as growing demand for the brew compelled the industry to make inroads into non-traditional areas.

The challenge thrown up by the limited availability of tea plantation in traditional tea growing areas led to exploring the possibility of extending tea cultivation in non-traditional areas, Tea Board officials said.

The two-day seminar was organised by the State agriculture department at Mon and Kohima recently in collaboration with Tea Board to bring both planters and different central agencies more closer so that the tea growers can be benefited from such agencies.

Both State government and Tea Board officials pointed out that Tea cultivation can be a suitable alternative to destructive Jhum (slash and burn) cultivation in Nagaland and the abandoned Jhum land can be transformed into eco-friendly tea plantation.

As per statistics available with the State agriculture department, about 800 acres of land in Mon and 300 acres in Mokokchung district have been brought under tea cultivation, and the per hactre production of tea in some estates here was more than in Assam.

Simply by selling green leaves, the industry cannot sustain in the long run, so the Tea Board, agriculture department and tea growers are emphasising setting up of small but viable tea factories inside the State so that the tea planters from interiors could be benefited.