PACHNOI (DHEKIAJULI), Aug 29 - A hard working, educated youth of Hograjuli-Panchnoi area under Dhekiajuli PS in Sonitpur district has scripted a success story through organic tea farming.
Pallabjyoti Nath, a 36-year-old Economics graduate from Gauhati University and a skilful tea gardener is now reaping success after years of arduous struggle. A kind, simple and down-to-earth youth, Nath who is popular as Rubul among the people, started tea cultivation in a small plot covering only eight bighas of land in 2009. He is now the owner of more than 30 bighas of organic tea gardens having a global clientele across Canada, UK, Italy, Germany, etc.
�At first I faced a lot of constraints as people couldn�t understand the importance of this economically viable method and even I had to wait for customers. But today, I cannot provide the required amount of teas as the demand has grown substantially. After working for about three years, I with the help of my elder brother Pranabjyoti Nath, created a site www.assamicaorganictea.in through which we got a good feedback from across most of the advanced countries.�
He added, �Manmoyuri Devi, a founder member of the company has been taking care of the sales and marketing operations for the company since its inception. A lawyer by education, Manmoyuri based in Trivandrum, Kerala also takes care of the accounts and taxation related matters of the company. After visiting our site in 2013, a London-based customer, Timothy Gofe, came to me and since then besides giving many beneficial suggestions he has remained a permanent customer of our product. He even provides financial assistance for labour welfare to inspire us to give priority to dignity of labour.�
Pallabjyoti Nath, who is also a product of the All India Institute of Management Association (AIIMA), Delhi informed that his tea estate named after his mother as �Kanoka� Tea Estate which later came to be known as ASSAMICA AGRO, has been able to play a notable role in motivating the local youths to accept tea as a career. He mentioned that it all started with his strict adherence to sustainable and organic farming standards. �Apart from our own tea, we also market organic teas ethically sourced from our associate small tea growers, who are undergoing organic certification process as per India�s National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) standards. But it is not just about certifications. It is also about how these teas are grown, picked and processed. We utilise �Vriksayurveda Organic Farming� methods to produce the most natural tea leaves. These ancient methods of growing tea preserves the healthy natural phyto-nutrients in the tea leaves, and at the same time keep us away from the dangerous chemical pesticides used in conventional commercial farming. And, we never rely on mechanical processing. Our small estate farmers hand-pick and process the tea leaves manually to produce the healthiest tea in the market,� he claimed.
About the wages paid to the labourers engaged in his garden, he said, �we are paying our own workers at a much higher level than the prevailing rate in Assam. And when we source our teas from other farmers, we offer them a fair price. Also, we offer a percentage of the buying price of the teas separately to these farms to help them increase the wages for their hired workers. Our ethical policy is slowly building our local economy as well as boosting morale. Our revolution will be peaceful. We are enhancing livelihood opportunities besides improving living standards of the workers.�
Pallab further said that they have been fighting decades of bad practices, unethical employment policies and poor land management. �It is true that we are a small company trying to revolutionise the way tea is grown in Assam. But what we are doing is working and it is right. We can prove it. Our loyal customers are growing and spreading the word. Our tea is the finest in the region. It is the healthiest organic tea (either green or black orthodox) in the market. Our workers are beginning to improve their standard of living while improving the region�s economy. And our rural life no longer is built on destroying the land for profit.�
Pallab revealed that their product is presently being sold as �Nath Family Tea� in London, and �Kanoka� orthodox in the USA. �I hope the Government�s help will provide us more inspiration to work thereby motivating the upcoming educated tea growers,� he said.
