Cold Tea

It is a pity that the fate of West Bengal's major cash crop industry is caught in doldrums. India is gradually losing its ground to cheaper producers of tea, like Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tanzania. On the other hand, the tea garden labourers in north Bengal have gone on strike in demand of enhanced wage rates. West Bengal being a prime tea producer in India, the deadlock is certain to adversely affect the country's domestic tea market as well as her already waning competitiveness at the international market. The Central Government must join hands with the State Government for quick solution of the issue for the benefit of all concerned.