Assam tea stakeholders slam Tea Board over policy lapses & price disparity, demand overhaul

Dibrugarh, Aug 29:  Stakeholders of Assam’s plantation sector have united in calling for a sweeping, results-oriented overhaul of the Tea Board of India and its agencies including the Directorate of Tea, Directorate of Small Tea Growers, and the District Green Leaf Price Monitoring Committees. They argue that these bodies have failed to uphold the glory, heritage, and economic viability of the region’s tea industry.

At a press briefing, Rajen Borah, president of the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association (AASTGA), placed blame squarely on the Tea Board’s dysfunctional and discriminatory policy-making. “The Tea Board, as the guardian of the tea industry, has failed to address mounting stress and financial distress across estates, bought-leaf manufacturers, and small tea growers,” he stated.

Highlighting price disparities, Borah lamented how leaf suppliers are paid drastically different prices ranging from as low as Rs 11 to just one fortunate few at Rs 40 per kg undermining fair trade and compromising leaf quality.

Chand Gohain, president of the Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers’ Association (ABLTMA), highlighted policy-driven constraints such as the mandatory routing of 100 per cent dust grade teas through public auction and onerous FSSAI compliance rules. A growing crisis looms as hundreds of factories may halt green-leaf procurement due to lack of testing infrastructure. Assam still lacks a single lab to test green leaves, he noted.

Sunil Agarwal of Bharatiya Cha Parishad stated that nearly 90 per cent of tea samples are failing FSSAI testing due to the presence of pesticides like acetamiprid and imidacloprid. He explained that tea growers are struggling with severe pest infestations, and these two chemicals are currently essential for effective pest control. Moreover, he noted that several advanced countries permit the use of these pesticides, highlighting a policy disconnect in India. It must be mentioned here that the FSSAI and Tea Board have stepped up monitoring and enforcement of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), including testing for banned or restricted chemicals like acetamiprid and imidacloprid.

At a high-level meeting at Gymkhana Club, Assam, representatives from AASTGA, ABLTMA, North Eastern Tea Association (NETA), and BCP expressed exasperation at the Tea Board’s inaction, resolving that immediate collective self-help is necessary. They urged the government’s intervention, praying for fair minimum prices, local testing infrastructure, flexible sales channels, transparency in trade and import data, and policy flexibility.

Jorhat Staff Correspondent adds: The Jorhat district unit of All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association (AASTGA) today staged a protest in front of the Tea Board of India, Regional office here, over sharp fall in prices of green leaves in present times.

Holding banners and placards the small tea growers (STGs) shouted slogans seeking both Central and State governments intervention to check huge drop in prices of green leaves, which has hit them hard.

Seeking fixation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for green leaf at the earliest, the STGs said that till the MSP was declared the Minimum Benchmark Price (MBP) be paid to them.

Staff Correspondent