The micro and small tea growers in the Nilgiris have appealed to the Tea Board for 40 % subsidy for establishment of mini and micro speciality tea factories by small tea growers. The Centre should implement the scheme through the Tea Board of India at the earliest.
H.N. Sivan, president of Nilgiris Nelikolu Micro and Small Tea Growers and Farmers’ Development Society, said that the Centre announced three years ago that it would provide subsidy for establishment of the mini speciality tea factories by small growers. But it was yet to do so.
Further, the Board should come out with a price sharing formula between small tea growers and bought leaf factories on the lines of the one in Kenya. The price sharing ratio should be 75 : 25.
Mr. Sivan added that the bought leaf factories should be instructed to move over to production of orthodox tea, green tea, and value added tea apart from black tea. The small tea growers should have representation in all the organisations related to tea sector.
Coordination committee
The Union Government should set up a coordination committee for the tea industry including the growers, factories, brokers, purchasers, and consumers.
Every bought leaf factory should have a factory-level small farmers’ association for better interaction and transparency in standards and tea production.
The district-level green leaf price monitoring committee should meet regularly. The District Collector is the chairman of the committee and he or she should convene the meeting regularly.
Insurance scheme
Further, the proposed insurance scheme of the Tea Board should be comprehensive, covering factors such as weather, crop loss, and price fall.
An evaluation team of Deloitte appointed by the Tea Board recently visited the Nilgiris district and the Society submitted a representation to it with these demands.
