Mattakelle: right on top

By B. Sivaram

When the planting celebrities had to pitch on an ideal venue in 1872 for a close-door deliberation of their common problems and emerging issues, the choice was unanimous — Mattakelle Estate. Despite the passage of time that has witnessed the chequered history of the tea industry in general and individual estates in particular, Mattakelle remains in the eyes of the tea community the nearest approximation to a model estate.

Now, what exactly is a model estate? Although the traditional emphasis has centered around the image of maximising the margin per unit of production (kg) or extent (hectare) - that is, realisation less operating costs - a combination of new indicators are now increasingly applied to view it in a wider and more developmental perspective. That is only to be expected because when it comes to individuals, it is not merely their income levels but related indices such as life expectancy, literacy, political freedom etc., that go to make up the quality of life. Likewise, on the issue of a country’s wealth, the conventional measurement of GDP has now been downgraded to add new weight to natural resources, environmental protection, education and social flexibility. Taking a cue from these worldwide developments, it follows that in proposing the yardstick for a plantation, considerations of current profitability, although cardinal, should be integrated into other features involving capital developments in the field and factory and, equally, the investments on social welfare and estate infrastructure.

In an overall situation where replanting is given a back seat, Mattakelle has been on the forefront in respect of this important field development activity. The annual pace of 1 per cent, although higher than the national rate of 0.7 per cent, remains short of the desirable level of 1.5 to 2 per cent. Yet, coupled with an on-going infilling programme that annually increases the plant density by about 450 per hectare, it is expected that, by the year 2000, 85 per cent of the fields will be under vegetatively propagated planting material.

Having arrived at and quantified the various parameters that combine towards overall performance, it is possible to reduce them into a neat formula for purposes of estate ranking. In a widely different context, the UNDP has done this to infer that, among the galaxy of countries represented at the United Nations, Canada (not USA) ranks the highest in terms of human development index. Likewise, a recent study by the World Bank finds Australia (again, not USA) ahead of the rest of the world in terms of the real wealth of nations. On a more familiar note, the CEAT cricket rating accords the pride of place to Sanath Jayasuriya. But, back to tea, the TRI too has, based on wide-ranging criteria, evolved a tea estate ranking index. In what resembles a marathon race involving 359 participants, Mattakelle appeared to be at the top of the order, justifying its role as a pace setter, worthy of emulation by all those striving to forge ahead.

[The writer is a consultant to the Plantation Reforrn Project]

More Plus * Clinton in storm over smile high club

Return to the Plus Contents