Tea Board was set up as a statutory body on 1st April, 1954 as per Section (4) of the Tea Act, 1953. As an apex body, it looks after the overall development of the tea industry. The Board consists of 32 Members, including Chairman and Deputy Chairman appointed by the Government of India representing different sections of the Tea industry. The Board’s Head Office is situated in Kolkata and there are two Zonal offices-one each in North Eastern Region at Jorhat in Assam and in Southern Region at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. Besides, there are 18 regional offices spread over in all the major tea growing states and four metros. For the purpose of tea promotion, three overseas offices are located at London, Dubai and Moscow. In order to meet the developmental needs of the small sector which accounts for more than 1/3rd of national tea production, separate directorate has been set up during the year under report. The functions and responsibilities of Tea Board include increasing production and productivity, improving the quality of tea, market promotion, and welfare measures for plantation workers and supporting Research and Development. Collection, collation and dissemination of statistical information to all stake holders are yet another important function of the Board. Being the regulatory body, the Board exerts control over the producers, manufacturers, exporters, tea brokers, auction organizers and warehouse keepers through various control orders notified under Tea Act.