Prashant Bhansali, Chief Executive Officer of Kairbetta Estates, a family-run tea plantation and an orthodox tea manufacturer, has been elected as President of UPASI for the year 2020-21.
MP Cherian, Managing Director of The Cottanad Plantations Limited and The Nilambur Rubber Company Limited, will be the Vice-President.
Bhansali is a former chairman of the Nilgiri Planters Association as well as the Planters Association of Tamil Nadu. He has been serving on the UPASI Executive Committee for the past 15 years. He was UPASI Tea Committee Chairman for the period 2016-17 to 2018-19.
With the current state of the plantation industry, he realises a need for radical thinking and innovation to move away from traditional industry practices. Changes need to be incorporated in the industry that are long-term and cost conscious, with a focus on sustainability.
Cherian served as Chairman of Association of Planters of Kerala (APK) in the year 2008 -2009. He has been Executive Committee member of UPASI since 1999 and Executive Committee member of APK from 2000. He was chairman of the UPASI Rubber Committee during the period 2011-12 to 2019-20.