MILESTONE -- 2 :

SILVER JUBILEE OF NPA CENTENARY POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

BY P S SUNDAR

The Vice Chairman of University Grants Commission, New Delhi, H Devaraj will usher in an improved infrastructure by inaugurating a new main block at NPA Centenary Polytechnic College in Kotagiri on September 26 to mark the Silver Jubilee of this reputed institution.

“He will also unveil a plaque in honour of the late GTS Pandiaraj, the first correspondent of the college.   Tea Board Executive Director C Paulrasu, College Correspondent Prashant Bhansali, Principal Dr Albert Ebenezer and Vice Chairman of Nilgiris Planters’ Association (NPA) Mohamed Iqbal will address a commemorative conference”, NPA Chairman K C Ponnappa told me.

Looking back, it needs to be recognised that the efforts spearheaded by Nilgiri planters, late M Thangavelu, late GTS Pandiaraj, G G Muthanna, M M Nanjapa and E B Sethna, resulted in the birth of the project to establish a polytechnic to mark NPA’s centenary.  For this purpose, the NPA Centenary Charitable Trust was created.

The college was dedicated to provide technical education with AICTE approval to plantation workers’ wards and poor residents of Nilgiris in 1991. Initially, it was functioning at Belvedere Bungalow but soon, Tamil Nadu Government allotted 20 acres of land on lease at Sakthimalai in Kotagiri.

“With liberal donations from NPA Charitable Trust, plantation companies, Tea Board and philanthropists, buildings spreading to 80,000 square feet were erected and the college moved on to this picturesque campus in 1994.   From 1995-96 academic year, the college is receiving grant-in-aid from Tamil Nadu Government”, Ponnappa disclosed.

Havukal Tea and Produce Co (P) Ltd., United Nilgiri Tea Estates Co Ltd (Chamraj Estates group), Stanes Amalgamated Estates Ltd (Kotada Estates group), BP Foddar Charitable Trust, A P Kothawala Memorial Trust, The Michael Walter Hoare  Memorial Trust, Anthony Hoare and family members of erstwhile planters of Nilgiris district gave liberal donations for buildings and other needs of the college.

Likewise, donations from Badaga Welfare Trust, P T Gnanasironmani (Pandian group), R M Sidambaram Pillai (Tuttapallam Estate) , UPASI Centenary Foundation, Forbes Charitable Trust, Kotagiri Kalyana Mandapam, Carrit Moran and Co P Ltd., J Thomas and Co P Ltd., Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd., Kairbetta Estate Syndicate and Craigmore Plantations (I) P Ltd made significant contributions.

The college benefits from the coaching of 60 teachers spread to Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Automobile Engineering and non-Engineering departments.

A well-stocked library is being used by students and faculty. The College publishes quarterly newsletters and annual magazine.   Several projects have been undertaken with fund-support from AICTE and HADP.

The college’s students have excelled in sports contests at divisional and state levels.  It has good sporting infrastructure.

“By now, 6,132 students have received technical education at this college.  Industrial houses including HCL, TEXMO, Roots India and Tata Institute of Fundamental research, have recruited students through campus interview.  Many past students are working in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Middle East.  As part of Silver Jubilee, we are enhancing employment potentiality with aggressive training in spoken English and soft skills”, he observed.

“The college has won The Best Polytechnic trophy from the Indian Society for Technical Education.   As part of Golden Jubilee, we will be strengthening laboratories with modern equipments that help to hone up our students’ skill for meeting industrial requirements”, he added.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

FOR THE RECORD -- 11 :

GAIN FROM KENYA'S LOSS & INNOVATIONS 

BY P S SUNDAR

(articles in The Assam Review and Tea News Aug 2015)

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com) 

PRODUCTION -- 13::

INDIA’S TEA PRODUCTION FALLS OVER 2014

BY P S SUNDAR

                  Adverse weather in July pulled down tea production in South India by 5.40 million kg (mkg) to dip to 18.54 mkg and North India by 5.14 mkg to fall to 135.83 mkg. 

This drop of 10.54 mkg to total 154.37 mkg created a topsy-turvy in India’s overall production profile.   Till June, India was the only country posting a higher production than 2014 but by July end, even India’s production fell below 2014 level.

“India’s production till July dropped marginally by 0.41 mkg – to 553.21 mkg from 553.62 mkg in Jan-July 2014.   Of this, South Indian production fell to 142.16 mkg from 144.97 mkg.  However, helped by previous months, North India continued to post gain with the cumulative production rising to 411.05 mkg from 408.65 mkg”, Rajesh Gupta, compiler of annual Global Tea Digest, told me.

Although the drop is only marginal, there is danger of this development reversing the proven track of India setting up new records year after year.  Last year, India’s production rose to all-time high of 1207.3 mkg.

While overall North Indian production has risen, output in Assam, country’s largest tea producing state, has fallen by 5.85 mkg to 251.21 mkg.   In the South, Tamil Nadu’s production has declined by 3.19 mkg to reach 99.54 mkg. 

“Global black tea production so far has fallen to 1035.97 mkg from 1110.02 mkg.  This loss of 74.05 mkg marks a decline of 6.67 per cent”, Rajesh Gupta noted.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

GLOBAL OUTLOOK -- 1::

“USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE TEA CONSUMPTION”

BY P S SUNDAR

Innovation, trendy and ethnicity should re-define the policy and strategy for promoting tea, noted a deliberation of representatives from Tea Board, Tea Research institutes and tea industry from different countries.

The deliberations, sponsored by Government of India, were conducted by Kothari Agricultural Management Centre (KAMC) at Coonoor. 

“The delegates are from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Kenya, Nepal and India.   They underlined the need for adopting innovative methods to retain youngsters’ interest in tea consumption”, KAMC Director Dr AVK Iyengar told me. 

“As traditional systems of promotion would not continue to yield desired results, our meeting urged tea industry and Tea Boards to engage newer reach-vehicles like social media, mobile networking, blogs and group messaging for promoting tea.  The United Nations, its relevant bodies including Food and Agricultural Organisation, Governments and corporate heads are using social media like Twitter and Facebook to connect with people on official policies and decisions.     Tea industry should not lag behind”, he said. 

“The meeting observed that players in tea industry and trade as also the Tea Boards of various countries must build tea professional groups in social media and deliberate on real-time basis on developments affecting their business.   There must be closer interaction for pooling of guidance to tide over emerging problems by sharing success stories”, Dr Iyengar noted.

“The thrust on promotion must be on the positive health impact of consuming tea besides its eco-friendly and hospitality characteristics”, he added.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com). 

MILESTONE -- 1 ::

KAMC ENTERS SILVER JUBILEE YEAR

BY P S SUNDAR

Kothari Agricultural Management Centre (KAMC), the premier knowledge and capacity enhancement institution on plantations and agriculture management in South India, has now entered its silver jubilee year of service to the cause of enriching the global data bank on agri-related aspects.

KAMC was established in Coonoor in the Nilgiris district, hailed as Mecca of plantations in South India, in 1991 by the leading industrialist D C Kothari, a great visionary who was keen to foster the development and modernisation of agriculture activities through professional training.

From then till now, KAMC operates with four thrust areas – Management education, Executive Training, Technical and Management Consultancy and Applied Research.

KAMC and its sister institution Plantation Management Academy (PMA) are now divisions of Ananya Centre for Education Pvt Ltd (ACE).

They offer six well-designed courses regularly :: 

1. Six-month Post-graduate Diploma Course with specialisation in tea plantation management:

“This course aims at equipping plantation industry with trained personnel.  Over the years, more than 200 Indian students have got qualified through this programme.   Many occupy senior positions getting placements through campus interviews and off-campus selection process.  Our Alumni are working in plantations in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka as also in Uganda, PNG and Tanzania”, Director Dr AVK Iyengar told me.

I have devised and taught a syllabus on Plantation managerial Economics for this programme.

2. Three-month programme on Tea Tasting and Quality Assurance

3. Three-month programme on Advanced Computer Applications for Plantations

4. Three-month Basic certificate programme in Tea Plantation Management

5. Two-month Advanced Programme on Tea Plantation Management and

6. Two-month programme on Agricultural Project Management.

These above programmes are sponsored by Government of India under Technical Co-operation Scheme of the Colombo Plan from which officials from many countries regularly benefit.   Officers’ of Agricultural ministries, Tea Board and research institutes, tea planters, manufacturers, traders as also agriculturists from many countries attend these programmes which comprise many modules – class room lectures, seminars, private study with the extensive background materials supplied, presentations, field visits, interaction with experts and on-hand practice.  

“Over 500 foreign delegates from 20 countries including Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Malawi, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe”, Dr Iyengar recalled.

Also, the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, has sponsored candidates form Asian Commonwealth countries for training here.

As one delivering a series of lectures on core subjects at all these programmes, I experience the overwhelming response of the candidates regularly.

In addition, tourists from different countries interested in benefiting from a direct experience of tea tasting have been periodically receiving this unique facility at KAMC/PMA.

Likewise, students, especially those studying for MBA degrees, have been coming to KAMC/PMA for undergoing industrial training. 

“We have been imparting knowledge through specific training modules for various groups including workforce, personnel governed by forest ministry (TANTEA), co-operative sector (Indcoserve) and those requiring computer adaptability.  We have exclusive programmes on Government Budgeting attended by officers of Governments of various countries”, Dr Iyengar disclosed.

“More importantly, our modules are flexible to elaborate on contemporary developments and futuristic challenges faced by professionals.  Thus, WTO, key limiting factors, business in the current millennium, present overview on the global front, outlook for the middle and long term – constitute our learning system.  We hold brainstorming sessions to kindle thought-process suggesting solutions to tough challenges, thereby equipping the participants to become alert, active and achieving managers”, he claimed.   

“As part of our co-curricular enrichment, we have been conducting cultural exchange programmes jointly with Nilgiris Cultural Association (NCA) where the participants of our programmes from various countries present a cultural highlight of their respective countries.  This highly-applauded programme is open to public as well”, he observed.

“We celebrate the Silver Jubilee with tremendous satisfaction of having played a pro-active role in the knowledge enrichment for plantations and agriculture professionals.  We re-rededicate ourselves to this cause with renewed vigour to align with contemporary and futuristic challenges”, Dr Iyengar declared. 

   

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

COONOOR AUCTIONS -- 8 ::

CTTA EARNINGS CONTINUE TO DROP

BY P S SUNDAR

                   The cumulative turnover at Coonoor Tea Trade Association (CTTA) auctions, which had fallen below last year at July end, continued to lag behind at August end.

Till April, players at CTTA auction had earned less compared to 2014 but in May and June, they earned more.  However, by July, the earnings dropped by ` 2.32 crore or 0.89 per cent compared to 2014.

This falling trend continued last month.   Although the volume sold till August had risen over last year by 15 lakh kg, that was possible only by sacrificing prices by ` 3 per kg.

Till August end, 35 auctions had been held.  Since about 25 per cent of volume had remained unsold in most auctions, producers reduced their asking price resulting in average price falling to ` 71.49 per kg from ` 75.39.    

The lower price helped higher absorption with the volume sold rising to 4.05 crore kg from 3.90 crore kg.

Nevertheless, the overall turnover dropped to ` 289.53 crore from ` 294.02 crore. 

This fall of ` 4.49 crore marked a decline of 1.53 per cent.

Following abrasions in Indo-Pak border close to Independence Day celebrations, Pakistan, the major buyer of Nilgiri teas, has not been buying at CTTA auction.

“However, following global shortage, export demand is felt for our tea but prices are inadequate to cover raising production cost”, CTTA Chairman Ramesh Bhojarajan told me. 

(response can also be sent to : pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)