Brewing trouble: Given the stalemate over the method of payment, tea manufacturers have decided to stop operations till July 21. | Photo Credit: H_Vibhumore-inMore than 90% of the tea factories in the Nilgiris have shut down since Saturday, due to a standoff between tea sellers and buyers. According to Thiagaraj Hutchi Gowder, president of the Nilgiris Small Tea Growers Association, the standoff between the two parties is due to a billing system that is being insisted upon by large tea buyers. Since the producers had objected to the payment being made via the brokers, major buyers have stopped purchasing tea from the producers. “We have arranged for a meeting with all the parties at the Tea Board headquarters in Kolkata and hope that the issue gets sorted in the coming days,” he said.

Source: The Hindu July 17, 2017 02:37 UTC