<P> The Indian administration along with the European Union and six other countries (Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Mexico) filed a complaint with the WTO against the Byrd Amendment which was formally known as the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 legislated by the US . The essence of this act was that non-US firms which sell below cost price in the US could be fined and the money is given to the US companies who made the complaint in the first place . The act adversely affected the commodities business of the complainant states and has since been repealed after WTO ruled the act to be illegal . </P> <P> Furthermore, the Indian government took cognizance of the changed tea and coffee market and set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to look into their problems in late 2003 . The IMC has recommended that the government share the financial burden of plantation industry on account of welfare measures envisaged for plantation workers mandated under the Plantation Labour Act 1951 . Moreover, IMC has recommended to introduce means so that the agricultural income tax levied by the state governments can be slashed and the tea industry be made competitive . It has recommended that sick or bankrupt plantation estates should be provided with analogous level of relaxation for similarly placed enterprises / estates as are available to industries referred to BIFR . </P> <P> A Special Tea Term Loan (STTL) for the tea sector was announced by the Indian government in 2004 . It envisaged restructuring of irregular portions of the outstanding term / working capital loans in the tea sector with repayment over five to seven years and a moratorium of one year, which was to be on a case to case basis for large growers . The STTL also provides for working capital up to Rs. 2 lakhs at a rate not exceeding 9% to small growers . </P> <P> In addition to these measures, the Tea Board plans to launch a new marketing initiative, which will include foray into new markets such as Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam and Egypt . It also plans to renew its efforts in traditional markets like Russia, the UK, Iraq and UAE . Noteworthy is its intent to double tea exports to Pakistan within a year . </P>

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