(1) The owner of a tea estate or a sub-division of a tea estate to which an export quota has been allotted for any financial year shall have the right to obtain at any time export licences during that year to cover the export of tea up to the amount of the unexhausted balance of the quota, that is, up to the amount of the quota less the amount for which the export licences have already been issued against it.
(2) The right of the owner of a tea estate or a sub-division of a tea estate under this section may be transferred subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, and the transferee of any such right may again transfer the whole or any part of his right to the owner of a tea estate, or a sub-division of a tea estate but not to any other person:
Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall operate to restrict the issue of licences for the export of tea expressed to be sold with export rights.
(3) The owner of any tea estate or any sub-division of a tea estate to which an export quota has been allotted or any person to whom he has transferred his rights may at any time before the 21st day of March of the financial year to which the quota relates apply in writing to the Board for an export licence to cover the export of tea up to the amount of the amount of the unexhausted balance of the quota.
(4) Every licence shall be in duplicate in the prescribed form, shall bear the date of its issue and shall be valid up to the end of the financial year in which it is issued:
Provided that, save as provided in section 22, the Board shall not issue any export licence after the end of the financial year in which the application for licence was made.