UDALGURI, May 20 � �In order to protect our health, environment and also to increase the quality of green tea leaves, the tea farmers must take up scientific initiatives to minimise the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers in their small tea gardens.� This was observed by Dr Gautam Kr Saikia of the Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat while addressing an assembly of small tea growers of Udalguri district on Monday.
Addressing a day-long awareness-cum-training camp of the small tea growers of Udalguri district at the Ringudamsa auditorium here at Udalguri town, which was organised by the All Bodoland Small Tea Growers� Association (ABSTGA) under the sponsorship of the Tea Board, India, Saikia also dwelt on the certain �do�s and don�ts� of tea in order to produce quality Assam tea which could get international attention.
The awareness camp was also addressed by Dr Mridul Deka from the same university who advised the small tea farmers to abide by the guidelines set up for the use of various approved pesticides to save their tea gardens. He also advised the farmers to test the quality of soil before it prepared for tea plantation.
The seminar was also addressed by Pronoy Kr Basumatari, president of the All Bodoland Small Tea Growers� Association. Basumatari later informed mediapersons that the organic tea plantation in Udalguri district is on cards and the small tea growers of the district too have evinced keen interest in switching over to organic tea plantation for better ecological environment, health and hygiene of the people related to the tea in particular and others in general. The seminar was also attended by Nabajyoti Boro, development officer of Udalguri Tea Board, Mukul Borah of the World Vision NGO among many others.
It is to be noted that there are nearly 6000 small tea estates in Udalguri district since 2008, but most of the tea planters have yet to get any training. The Assam Agricultural University was requested to train the resource persons of the Bodoland region so that they could bring in a green revolution in the region.
