With 30% decline in tea output, Assam growers urge govt to fix Rs 25/kg MSP
Small tea growers also highlight harm caused by poor-quality green leaves coming from nearby states
Jorhat, Aug 9: Small tea growers in Assam are grappling with mounting challenges as tea production in the state has declined by nearly 30%, while the prices they receive for green leaves remain far below expectations.
According to the Small Tea Growers Association of Jorhat, the minimum price needed to sustain growers is not being met.
“For the past two to three years, production has been falling. This year, it is down by 30%, but prices for green leaves have not increased. Instead, we are being forced to sell at the lowest rates. Earlier, two leaves and a bud would fetch us a fair price at factories, but now, despite rising production costs, we are forced to sell green leaves at rates as low as Rs 18, Rs 20, or Rs 22 per kg, depending on the location,” said the association’s general secretary, Krishna Prasad Sharma.
In light of the situation, the association has urged the government to fix a minimum support price (MSP) for green leaves, similar to the policy for paddy, to safeguard the livelihoods of small tea growers.
A recent meeting chaired by the District Commissioner under the district monitoring committee—attended by factory owners, industry stakeholders, and small tea growers—set the price for green leaves at Rs 25 per kg, with certain conditions attached.
“The way the government has made policy for paddy, such as purchasing paddy from farmers, a similar MSP mechanism for tea leaves would be really helpful,” Sharma said.
Growers also raised concerns about the inflow of lower-quality green leaves from Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, which they say is hurting Assam’s growers, and called for separate factory arrangements for such leaves.
Sharma pointed to climate change as a major factor affecting tea cultivation in Assam, adding that small tea growers particularly suffer due to a lack of irrigation facilities.
The association’s vice-president, Diganta Pradip Neog, stressed the economic importance of small tea growers to Assam’s economy.
“We have been driving the green revolution in the tea industry despite immense hardship. Our production costs are rising, yet we are denied fair prices,” he said, reiterating the demand that the officially fixed rate of Rs 25 per kg be implemented without delay.