A sharp decline in the price of green tea leaves, shortage of workers, and dearth of tea processing factories in the public sector have hit small-scale tea growers in Wayanad district.
The spot price of green leaves on Saturday was Rs.8 a kg against Rs.13 a kg during the corresponding period last year.
‘‘We are forced to sell our produce at a throw away price to agents from Tamil Nadu owing to the dearth in tea processing factories here,’’ K. Hassan, a small-scale farmer at Karadippara, said.
The prevailing price in the market for the produce was not remunerative as the production cost had doubled now, he said. The shortage of workers and the increasing inputs were also a cause for concern.
A farmer should get at least Rs.18 a kg to survive, Mr. Hassan said.
According to available data with the Wayanad Small-Scale Tea Growers Association (WSSTGA), as many as 12,000 small tea growers depend on the tea industry for their livelihood.
Many of them have a land holding of 50 cents to five acres.
Close to 1,10,000 kg of green tea leaves were produced everyday, but the seven tea factories functioning in the private sector in the district could procure only 22,000 kg a day, K.C. Krishanadas, secretary, WSSTGA, said.
The remaining quantity was being procured by the agents from Nilgiri in Tamil Nadu at a low price, he said.
The average production from an acre is 500 kg a month and a farmer would get an income of Rs.4,000 from it. But, he had to spend Rs.3,500 as plucking charge and around Rs.1,500 for fertilizer and pesticides, Mr. Krishnadas said.
