Assam Tea Crisis: Small Growers to Protest as Bought Leaf Factories Halt Purchases Amidst Regulatory Disputes
Guwahati: Although the state government held a meeting to resolve the crisis revolving around the small tea growers (STGs) and the bought leaf factories (BLFs), no solution to the imbroglio was forthcoming. The small tea growers have decided to embark on a protest following the decision of the BLFs to stop purchasing green tea leaves from the growers from June 3.
On May 29, a meeting of the stakeholders chaired by chief secretary Ravi Kota was held to arrive at a solution. All stakeholders put forth their own problems regarding the issue, but nothing concrete emerged at the meeting.
The issues that led to the confrontation between the STGs and the BLFs revolved around the Tea Board’s directive on the production of made tea without pesticide residue and the total sale of CTC dust tea by BLFs through auction centres. According to the BLFs, they do not have the requisite facilities to test the presence of pesticide residue. Also, they are not willing to auction all the dust-grade tea produced in their factories.
On the other hand, the president of the Small Tea Growers Association, Rajen Bora, said that as the state government or the Tea Board could not provide a solution, they had no choice but to resort to agitation. “On Monday, we will organize protests at all DC offices and the Tea Board office. On Wednesday, we will block the national highway. We will then decide on the future course of action. If our green leaf is not purchased by the BLFs, we will face a crisis regarding our livelihood.”
Sources said that there are around 300 BLFs in the state, with more than 50% located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. The BLFs in these districts appear to be more adamant about not purchasing green leaf from the STGs. But it is a fact that some tea estates under the North East Tea Association (NETA) and other big estates have not stopped purchasing the green leaf from the small growers. NETA sources said that making the sale of 100 percent dust tea through auction centres mandatory for the BLFs lies at the crux of the problem. The Tea Board should relax the norms so that those willing to participate in the complete auction of the dust-grade tea should be allowed to do so. Even if they are hesitant to fully auction the dust tea, their decision should also be considered.
With both parties at loggerheads over the issue, the situation is likely to escalate further.
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