(a) whether the Union Government have set up a high level Committee to study various aspects of the tea industry;
(b) if so, the details of the composition of the Committee;
(c) the salient aspects on which the Committee has been asked to look into; and
(d) the steps taken by the Union Government to ensure an assured price for the small tea growers in the country who are miserably affected due to fluctuation in the price of tea in the national and international market?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY)
(a) to (c) :In order to operationalise a Price Stabilisation Fund, for tea, coffee, natural rubber and tobacco, which is a new concept requiring in depth assessment of complexities, a Committee has been formed which includes representatives of the Government of India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
(d) There is presently no Scheme under operation to ensure an assured price for the small tea growers.