A CORRESPONDENT
GOLAGHAT: The small tea growers of Golaghat district are facing problems in selling their raw green leaves to bought leaf factories. The small tea growers have been deprived of the actual rate of the raw green leaves by the bought leaf factories.
Due to alleged conspiracy of buyers and agency of tea auction, the small tea growers are facing huge loss in selling their raw tea green leaves. In this regard, the secretary of Golaghat District Small Tea Growers Association (GDSTA), Achyut Baruah expressed strong reaction over low price rate of raw green leaf in Golaghat district. He said that small tea growers were deprived of the due rate. As a consequence, 22,000 small tea growers in Golaghat district were facing great loss.
Notably, the Tea Board of India fixed minimum rate Rs. 26. 70 per kg of green leaf in Golaghat district. But interestingly, the bought leaf factories have been paying only Rs. 12 to Rs. 16 per kg for the green leaf. The Tea Board of India has allegedly maintained a stoic silence in this matter. There are 54 brought leaf factories and 40 other factories in Golaghat district.
It has been alleged that the small tea growers were badly affected due to the conspiracy of a section of tea factories owners and tea companies. There is a monitoring committee in Golaghat with the Deputy Commissioner as chairman, member and secretary from Tea Board of India, two members of the Small Tea Growers Association, two members each from NETA, ABITA and Tea Association of India. The Deputy Commissioner as well as monitoring committee have not paid any attention to the matter and they have allegedly failed to solve the problems of small tea growers. The Golaghat district small tea growers have appealed to the Government of Assam to take necessary steps immediately.
On Monday, a meeting was held between North East Tea Planters (NTP) and Small Tea Growers' Association over the green leaf rate. In meeting, NTP president and Sarupathar MLA Biswajit Phukan, working president Amit Malpani, vice-president Moni Bora and Raju Baheti and Golaghat Small Tea Growers' Association secretary Achyut Baruah and central committee finance secretary Rajib Gohain were took part. In the meeting, Biswajit Phukan appealed to bought leaf factories to receive 40 per cent fine leaf production of small tea growers.
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