INDONESIA
Indonesia - Ministry Aids Tea Industry
Tea production in Indonesia is held back by a lack of available land and 2,000 hectares of land have been converted from tea cultivation to other activities in the last five years. This has meant a drop in production from 151,012 tons in 2010 to 148,671 in 2013. The Agriculture Ministry has therefore allocated Rp 50 billion ($4.32 million) to help revitalize 3,200 hectares of tea gardens in West Java with a goal of raising output. The province of West Java has been chosen because 60% of the country’s tea is located in the region and production is very successful there. The money will be used to carry out an intensification program to provide fertilizers and expert assistance to 1,700 hectares, and the rehabilitation, with the provision of new tea seeds and fertilizers for another 1,500 hectares. The Agriculture Ministry has a budget of Rp 1.57 trillion ($129.4 million) to develop plantations growing 12 commodities this year, including tea.