Energy demand and cost economy of tea planting and processing under organic conditions RK Tiwari and Chauhan SK * In India, tea planting area amounts to 51 million hectares, accounting for 23% of global tea production. Since the introduction of tea in India, the industry has made great contributions to social and economic development. The output of tea in the Northeast states accounts for about 54% of India’s total output. Assam alone accounts for 51% of India’s total output, and about India. One-sixth of tea production. world. India is the second largest tea producer after China, so it is worth noting that the tea industry occupies a considerable proportion of the country’s economy. Tea plantations and tea industries are mainly scattered in most parts of India. The crop is grown in certain areas in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and to a certain extent in Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Himalayas. Kelban planted. The total annual output of tea in my country is 840 million kilograms. This is not a well-known fact, but 25% of the total tea produced in West Bengal and Assam and other northeastern states is produced by small growers. Their contribution to the country's total tea production is 14%. Tea production involves three types of costs-planting costs, manufacturing or processing costs, and social costs. Considering only planting costs, tea planting is one of the most labor-intensive agricultural activities, and among the operations involved in tea production, picking is one of the most labor-intensive activities. Nearly 70% of the labor in the production is involved in the picking operations, and about 40% of the tea production cost is used to pay for the picking labor. The various factors affecting labor efficiency are crop yield, plant density, plant age, plant variety, climatic conditions and topography. Efficiency also varies with the physical and psychological characteristics of workers. The production cost of a kilogram of tea in northern India is US$1.62, and in southern India it is US$1.48/kg. There are 250 small tree growers in Sikkim. A strategy with sufficient resources is needed to train most small growers to promote more tea planting. A big obstacle is that organic certification by recognized institutions costs money and requires a mandatory three-year wait before the certificate is issued. Few growers are lucky enough to experience this tedious process. Due to lack of sufficient resources, training and manpower, most small growers can only rely on chemical agriculture. Many people hope to break this vicious circle. Organic is feasible because it reduces input costs and improves the quality of green leaves, making it more acceptable in foreign markets. Temi Tea is a high-quality tea produced in the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Temicha has been engaged in the production and sales of orthodox black tea since 1977. The tea garden currently covers an area of ​​500 acres. The tea crop is composed of TRA-certified clones and Chinese seeds, which are ideal for producing flavored teas. The altitude of the garden is 4800 feet. To 1950.7 m above mean sea level. Tea trees are planted in the Northeast. The annual output can reach 100 tons. Since 2008, Temi Tea Estate has passed IMO, Control's 100% organic certification, which is a member organization of IMO Switzerland. Temi Tea Estate has also passed the HACCAP certification of the ISO 2000 standard for food safety. Table 1: Organic tea planting cost (per kilogram of green leaves) Number of items (INR) Picking 10.00 Carrying green leaves 4.00 Cleaning 4.00 Fertilization 5.00 Weed control and cleaning 9.0 Total 32.00 The cost-benefit ratio varies between 1.69-2.60. The manufacture of processed Temi tea is not so much a science as it is an art. Below are the five (5) steps to make Temi tea. 1. Withering 2. Rolling 3. Fermentation 4. Drying 5. Sorting and packaging. Withering: The green leaves here have been in the withered trough, blowing a warm wind. The end result is that the leaves lose 65% of their moisture. Rolling: Rolling and crushing of the leaves by a rolling mill, thereby releasing the liquid components in the leaves, and starting the fermentation and oxidation of the leaves. Fermentation: During the fermentation process, the enzymes in the leaves combine with oxygen in the air. This process causes the leaves to turn black, which is the typical flavor of black tea. Drying: This is a process of drying tea. In the dryer, the characteristics obtained during the fermentation process are fixed. Sorting: This process ensures that the bulk tea is divided into four different grades. Packing: Well-trained technical workers will pack all the gardens with different commercial names. Table 2: Organic tea processing cost item amount (Rs/kg) Green leaf 60 Leaf picking cost 3.0 Fuel (firewood) 5.0 Electricity 6.0 Salary 10.0 Factory management cost 5.0 General management cost 3.0 Packaging 2.5 Tax 0.50 Tea transportation 3.0 Total processing cost 98.00 Tea plus Industry has a great demand for energy, about 21% is electricity, and the remaining 79% is conventional fuels. According to reports, India’s total specific heat energy consumption varies from 4.45 to 6.84 kWh/kg for tea, while India’s specific electrical energy consumption varies from 0.4 to 0.7 kWh/kg for tea. The plantations and transportation departments in the estate also consume a lot of energy in the form of petroleum fuels. Table 3 Thermal energy consumption of different energy sources Fuel consumption per kilogram. Average energy consumption for brewing tea (MJ/kg. brewing tea) Coal 1.125 kg 27.43 Leco 0.625 kg 18 Wood 2.0 kg 29.26 Natural gas 0.625 Nm3 23.50 TD Oil Direct 0.300 kg 13.14 TD Oil Indirect Massive use of kg of air 026. Under control Temperature and humidity conditions. Other raw materials include fuel, wood, coal, oil, and natural gas. 1 ton of dry tea requires approximately 4.5 tons of green leaves, 450 kilowatts of electricity, 500 liters of oil (or other fuel), depending on the process used, 250 working hours, 23 tea boxes (or alternative packaging), and 2000 tons of air. Therefore As mentioned in Table 1 and Table 2, the planting and processing cost of organic tea may be about 130 rupees/kg. The thermal energy consumption of different energy sources is shown in Table 3. The modern demand for mechanized tea planting in Sikkim can be introduced to varying degrees. Currently in India, the use of plucking shears can help during the peak season of high crop yields and labor shortages. Manually operated plucking shears can increase the efficiency of plucking from about 25 kg per worker per day to nearly 100 – 200 kg. However, in order not to affect the quality of the plucking shears, the harvested thick leaves and two leaves and buds Should be removed manually. In the future, mechanization can be achieved to a greater extent through improved motorized and self-propelled shears. Motorized mechanical hand-held scissors can harvest 300 to 450 kg of leaves per day when operated by a single person, and 700 to 1500 kg of leaves per day when operated by two persons. The self-propelled lawnmower can harvest 2,000 to 3,000 kg of leaves per day, which increases the efficiency several times. However, as the degree of mechanization increases, crop yields are affected. The comprehensive plan of manual picking and shearing harvest can prevent crop yield decline and help maintain the crop cycle. * RK Tiwari and Chauhan SK wrote this article for The Sangai Express RK Tiwari is a former research engineer, Chauhan SK is the lead researcher of AICRP in UAE, School of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Ranipool, Sikkim Email: rk96tiwari(AT)gmail( DOT )com This article was published on November 18, 2016. -pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity, and caution in language when writing your opinions for other users to see and read. Please read the complete guide on using reviews on this site.

Energy demand and cost economics of tea planting and processing under organic conditions

RK Tiwari and Chauhan SK *

In India, the tea planting area reaches 51 million hectares, accounting for 23% of the global tea production. Since the introduction of tea in India, the industry has made great contributions to social and economic development. The output of tea in the Northeast states accounts for about 54% of India’s total output. Assam alone accounts for 51% of India’s total output, and about India. One-sixth of tea production. world. India is the second largest tea producer after China, so it is worth noting that the tea industry occupies a considerable proportion of the country’s economy. Tea plantations and tea industries are mainly scattered in most parts of India. The crop is grown in certain areas in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and to a certain extent in Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Himalayas. Kelban planted. The total annual output of tea in my country is 840 million kilograms. This is not a well-known fact, but 25% of the total tea produced in West Bengal and Assam and other northeastern states is produced by small growers. Their contribution to the country's total tea production is 14%. Tea production involves three types of costs-planting costs, manufacturing or processing costs, and social costs. Considering only planting costs, tea planting is one of the most labor-intensive agricultural activities, and among the operations involved in tea production, picking is one of the most labor-intensive activities. Nearly 70% of the labor in the production is involved in the picking operations, and about 40% of the tea production cost is used to pay for the picking labor. The various factors affecting labor efficiency are crop yield, plant density, plant age, plant variety, climatic conditions and topography. Efficiency also varies with the physical and psychological characteristics of workers. The production cost of a kilogram of tea in northern India is US$1.62, and in southern India it is US$1.48/kg. There are 250 small tree growers in Sikkim. A strategy with sufficient resources is needed to train most small growers to promote more tea planting. A big obstacle is that organic certification by recognized institutions costs money and requires a mandatory three-year wait before the certificate is issued. Few growers are lucky enough to experience this tedious process. Due to lack of sufficient resources, training and manpower, most small growers can only rely on chemical agriculture. Many people hope to break this vicious circle. Organic is feasible because it reduces input costs and improves the quality of green leaves, making it more acceptable in foreign markets. Temi Tea is a high-quality tea produced in the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Temicha has been engaged in the production and sales of orthodox black tea since 1977. The tea garden currently covers an area of ​​500 acres. The tea crop is composed of TRA-certified clones and Chinese seeds, which are ideal for producing flavored teas. The altitude of the garden is 4800 feet. To 1950.7 m above mean sea level. Tea trees are planted in the Northeast. The annual output can reach 100 tons. Since 2008, Temi Tea Estate has passed IMO, Control's 100% organic certification, which is a member organization of IMO Switzerland. Temi Tea Estate has also passed the HACCAP certification of the ISO 2000 standard for food safety. Table 1: Organic tea planting cost (per kilogram of green leaves) Number of items (INR) Picking 10.00 Carrying green leaves 4.00 Cleaning 4.00 Fertilization 5.00 Weed control and cleaning 9.0 Total 32.00 The cost-benefit ratio varies between 1.69-2.60. The manufacture of processed Temi tea is not so much a science as it is an art. Below are the five (5) steps to make Temi tea. 1. Withering 2. Rolling 3. Fermentation 4. Drying 5. Sorting and packaging. Withering: The green leaves here have been in the withered trough, blowing a warm wind. The end result is that the leaves lose 65% of their moisture. Rolling: Rolling and crushing of the leaves by a rolling mill, thereby releasing the liquid components in the leaves, and starting the fermentation and oxidation of the leaves. Fermentation: During the fermentation process, the enzymes in the leaves combine with oxygen in the air. This process causes the leaves to turn black, which is the typical flavor of black tea. Drying: This is a process of drying tea. In the dryer, the characteristics obtained during the fermentation process are fixed. Sorting: This process ensures that the bulk tea is divided into four different grades. Packing: Well-trained technical workers will pack all the gardens with different commercial names. Table 2: Organic tea processing cost item amount (Rs/kg) Green leaf 60 Leaf picking cost 3.0 Fuel (firewood) 5.0 Electricity 6.0 Salary 10.0 Factory management cost 5.0 General management cost 3.0 Packaging 2.5 Tax 0.50 Tea transportation 3.0 Total processing cost 98.00 Tea plus Industry has a great demand for energy, about 21% is electricity, and the remaining 79% is conventional fuels. According to reports, India’s total specific heat energy consumption varies from 4.45 to 6.84 kWh/kg for tea, while India’s specific electrical energy consumption varies from 0.4 to 0.7 kWh/kg for tea. The plantations and transportation departments in the estate also consume a lot of energy in the form of petroleum fuels. Table 3 Thermal energy consumption of different energy sources Fuel consumption per kilogram. Average energy consumption for brewing tea (MJ/kg. brewing tea) Coal 1.125 kg 27.43 Leco 0.625 kg 18 Wood 2.0 kg 29.26 Natural gas 0.625 Nm3 23.50 TD Oil Direct 0.300 kg 13.14 TD Oil Indirect Massive use of kg of air 026. Under control Temperature and humidity conditions. Other raw materials include fuel, wood, coal, oil, and natural gas. 1 ton of dry tea requires approximately 4.5 tons of green leaves, 450 kilowatts of electricity, 500 liters of oil (or other fuel), depending on the process used, 250 working hours, 23 tea boxes (or alternative packaging), and 2000 tons of air. Therefore As mentioned in Table 1 and Table 2, the planting and processing cost of organic tea may be about 130 rupees/kg. The thermal energy consumption of different energy sources is shown in Table 3. The modern demand for mechanized tea planting in Sikkim can be introduced to varying degrees. Currently in India, the use of plucking shears can help during the peak season of high crop yields and labor shortages. Manually operated plucking shears can increase the efficiency of plucking from about 25 kg per worker per day to nearly 100 – 200 kg. However, in order not to affect the quality of the plucking shears, the harvested thick leaves and two leaves and buds Should be removed manually. In the future, mechanization can be achieved to a greater extent through improved motorized and self-propelled shears. Motorized mechanical hand-held scissors can harvest 300 to 450 kg of leaves per day when operated by a single person, and 700 to 1500 kg of leaves per day when operated by two persons. The self-propelled lawnmower can harvest 2,000 to 3,000 kg of leaves per day, which increases the efficiency several times. However, as the degree of mechanization increases, crop yields are affected. The comprehensive plan of manual picking and shearing harvest can prevent crop yield decline and help maintain the crop cycle.