With complaints against poor quality of green tea leafs and discrepancies in fixing prices of the raw material rising, the Tea Board (TB) has asked tea estates and bought leaf factories (BLF) in the northeast to strictly abide by the quality parameters and price-sharing formula set by the board. The Jorhat-based zonal office of the board, in its August 6 circular, pointed out that that some estates and BLFs are unilaterally fixing price for green leaves purchased from small tea growers, procuring poor quality green leaves and are even not disclosing the payable price of green leaf on the display board of factories. BLF means a tea factory which sources not less than two-thirds of its tea leaf requirement from other tea growers during any calendar year for the purpose of producing tea. The board said it has come to its notice that some estate and bought leaf factories engaged in outsourcing green leaves from small tea growers are restoring to these practices which are in violation of Tea Marketing Control Order (TMCO) guidelines of 2003. The board has also warned of canceling registration under TMCO for non-compliance of the guidelines stated in the latest circular. In the circular, the board has instructed the estates and BLFs that the district-wise minimum price of green leaf payable for the month should be determined after taking into account the average price of CTC (crush, tear, curl) tea sold through auction during the previous month and no "downward variation" should be made for the entire month. "For example, for the month of August 2013, the minimum benchmark price payable would be guided by the district average for July, 2013. The district-wise prices for previous month would be uploaded in TB's website at the beginning of each month. This would also form the basis for the district price monitoring committees for notifying green leaf price," TB explained. TB has also reiterated for displaying the payable price in the display board of factories. Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Tea-Board-asks-factories-estates-to-follow-quality-norms/articleshow/21838337.cms