The aptly titled ‘Oo-tea Fest’, the tea and tourism festival organised by the Nilgiris district administration, Tourism Department and the Tea Board of India, got under way on Friday, with the HADP open air stadium, the festival venue, packed with exhibits by Self-Help Groups (SHGs), food courts, music and  cultural programmes. 

 

The sheen is missing, however, as only five tea factories, including the two state-owned units, have come for the exhibition, bringing with them varieties of Nilgiri tea for visitors to appreciate and savour.  

 

M. Budhic­handran, Ooty MLA  who inaugurated the show, explained the various welfare schemes being implemented by the state government for tea growers. R.Ambalav­anan, Exec­utive Director of the Tea Board of India, South Zone, in his address, touched upon the history of Nilgiris tea and trends in consumption in recent times, appealing to the small tea growers in Nilgiris, who form the bulk of the farming community in the hills, to focus on good quality to fetch a premium price for their produce in the market.