Jorhat small tea growers protest falling green leaf rates, cite exploitation
Protesters urge state & central authorities to act immediately, threatening intensified protests if ignored
All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association protest in Jorhat on Thursday.
Jorhat, Aug 28: The district unit of the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association staged a protest in front of the Tea Board of India’s regional office at Cinamora on Thursday, demanding fair prices for their produce.
Thousands of small tea growers, who play a crucial role in Assam’s economy, are facing a severe crisis as green leaf prices continue to fall drastically.
Speaking on the issue, a Tea Board official acknowledged a state-wide imbalance caused by an oversupply of green leaves.
“The present drop in prices is primarily because supply has gone up, while demand in the market remains saturated. Many bought-leaf factories are unable to sell their tea or are forced to sell at lower prices. As a result, they are not in a position to pay small growers adequately,” the official said.
Small tea growers contribute nearly 52% of Assam’s total tea production, with over 2 lakh families relying on cultivation for their livelihood.
However, the crisis has deepened as factories are reportedly purchasing green leaves at rates far below the cost of production.
“We are in a severe crisis. Our cost of production stands at around Rs 22 per kilogram, but factories are paying only Rs 15–16 per kilogram. This is nothing short of exploitation. Despite producing quality leaves, we are denied a fair price,” said a representative of the association.
The association further alleged that factories often decide prices and grades arbitrarily, ignoring the standard leaf benchmark in over 40 instances.
“This is a conspiracy to suppress small growers. Unless fair prices are ensured, many may be forced to stop cultivation altogether,” the representative added.
The protestors demanded immediate intervention from both the state and central governments and warned that if their concerns are ignored, small growers across Assam may intensify their agitation.
Their key demands include:
- Fixation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for green leaf at the earliest.
- Strict enforcement of the Minimum Benchmark Price (MBP) until MSP is declared.
- Ban on the import of low-priced tea from foreign countries under the guise of free trade.
- Government notification mandating prior NOC for the movement of raw tea leaves from outside the state.
- Scientific and transparent grading system for green leaf quality assessment.