Soyabean Oil-Blending with a Purpose

March 9, 1985 creases in production. The quantum of ex ports remained the same in 1983 and 1984. Yet in 1984, despite a roughly nine per cent increase in output over the previous year, the internal demand could not be satisfactorily met leading to the necessity to ban exports of CTC varieties. The export ban at best arrested any further rise in prices. Tea prices in the domestic market continue to rule around the peak levels attained last year. So even if the official production target is reached in the current year, which is the basis on which the entire marketing policy has been framed, the domestic demand-supply gap is bound to be large. Possibly domestic prices could then be contained only if the quantum of exports is drastically cut. Doing the latter would mean losing out on much-needed foreign exchange earnings, that too from a commodity which is experiencing a buoyant world demand.