The Union Government is examining options on providing relief to a large number of small tea growers in Chopra block of West Bgal's Uttar Dinajpore district.

The growers have been hit hard by extensive crop loss following a severe cyclonic hailstorm in early April.

Hailstorm damage

Crops in over 5,000 acres have been destroyed and nearly 5,000 small-growers have been affected.

Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia , Union Minister of State for Commerce, told the Lok Sabha, on Monday that the Union Government was seized of the issue.

The Tea Board had been asked to submit a report giving details of the damage and the areas affected.

The Board will also examine if some support could be given to the affected growers under some of its existing schemes.

Technical report

A Tea Board spokesman said that under the ongoing schemes there were no provisions to provide relief for damage to crops caused by natural calamities.

There was a subsidy scheme for pruning of bushes and a scheme for a revolving corpus for Self Help Groups but the eligibility under these schemes was not linked to crop damage by hailstorm.

“We have asked the Tea Research Association to prepare a technical report on the extent of loss and the measures that need to be taken for restoring bushes to health and how much would it cost”, he said, adding that “the report, once received, will be submitted to the Government”.

The issue of providing insurance cover to tea crops had also been taken up with the insurance company, it was pointed out.

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