GUWAHATI: Even as Assam tea is being sold at record price during the unlock phases, about 1.5 lakh small tea growers of Assam are not even getting the minimum benchmark price, which has been set by the Tea Board of India, from factories.
In India, more than 2.5 lakh small tea growers (STGs) are cultivating tea mainly in the states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and other northeastern states, covering an estimated 35% of land where tea is being grown.
“Before and after Durga Puja, the small tea growers of Assam and West Bengal suffered a lot due to low prices. STGs are affected due to sudden fall in cost of green tea leaves and are bound to sell their highly perishable produce below cost of production,” Confederation of Indian Small Tea-growers’ Association (CISTA) secretary Achyut Prasad Gogoi told TOI.
He said in Assam, during the last two months (September-October), the variable minimum benchmark price (MBP) for green tea leaves has been between Rs 34 and Rs 38 per kg. However, small tea growers, in the last months have hardly received anything beyond Rs 18 to Rs 22 per kg.
This comes at a time when Assam tea continues to enjoy high demand even at the time of the pandemic. Last month, the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) sold a speciality tea at a price of Rs 75,000 per kg which, Gogoi said, is evident that tea from Assam is still fetching competitive prices in markets.
In 2019, India produced 1390.08 million kg of tea where the contribution of big tea estates was 705.08 million kg (50.72%), where the contribution from the STGs was slightly behind at 685.02 million kg (49.28%).
In the same year, Assam's total tea production was 716.49 million kg where big gardens contributed 396.08 million kg (55%) and STGs contribution was 321.41 million kg (45%).
In Assam, more than 1.5 lakh small tea growers are cultivating tea in 25 districts where an estimated 25 lakh people are directly or indirectly involved with this profile.
“The Tea Board announced a monthly minimum benchmark for green tea leaves in states dominated by small tea growers. It is sorry to say that out of nine plucking months, STGs got only an average three months, where the MBP has been fulfilled,” Gogoi added.