Small tea growers, who had already emerged as a potent force in boosting India’s tea output, have sought policy interventions from the Centre saying that support services were urgently needed, if the sector was to sustain its production levels.
The two lakh small tea growers now account for 35 per cent of India’s tea output which averages at over 1,000 million kgs. Their share was projected to increase to 50 per cent by 2020. Educated youth are now engaged in tea cultivation through self -help groups as first generation entrepreneurs.
The sector has urged the Centre to prepare a policy for floor price of green tea leaf sector, saying that price volatility was a major constraint for the sector, which was facing profit squeeze due to increased production costs.
In a letter written to the Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitaraman , the president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association, Bijoy Chakraborty, said that the small tea growers directorate set up by the Tea Board last year, has not been effective enough in either protecting the sectors interests, or providing it with the extension services that could help it improve its quality and yield. The sector was also facing problems regarding obtaining `no objection certificates’ from the state government. The letter pointed that although CISTA had played a crucial role in preparing the 12 plan proposal for STG, non-approval of the 12 Plan and the Tea Board’s financial crunch was affecting its growth.
