Tea industry of Assam: At a glance

Prafulla Dowarah

(The writer can be reached at prafulla_dowarah@yahoo.co.in)

The tea Industry in Assam came into existence in the 1830s, after the state slipped into the hands of British rule. The British ruled Assam for approximately 120 years and during that period, the number of tea gardens rose to more than 1,000. Today, this number has declined to 850 or so. Hopefully, this figure does not comprise thousands of gardens by small tea growers, who supply their tea leaves to the nearby tea gardens.

The present count alone gives us a sense that something is amiss in the industry. The tea industry is the first and foremost industry of Assam, and not to forget, it is also a highly labour-intensive sector. Currently, there are around 10 lakh workers employed across 850 tea gardens, which also indicates that we can generate more employment opportunities by reviving the sick or dead tea gardens to attain the magic number of 1000. One thing is for sure the demand for tea has never been in decline. Without a doubt, the tea industry is the lifeline of our state's economy.

Assam alone contributes to around 55% of the total tea production in India. Our tea used to occupy a place of pride among tea-growing nations across the globe. But only time will tell whether the industry will even retain its existing position and remain unaffected for the long haul.

I reminisce about the days when we would roam around tea factories, meandering through the narrow alleys of tea gardens. Having spent my childhood days in a tea plantation community, I feel nostalgic every time I see those lush green tea gardens. They give me joy and tranquillity.

There was always a sense of thrill watching the never-ending rows, along with Siris and other trees planted amid the bushes to provide shade with their large canopies on hot summer days. The trees play a crucial role here—as their small leaves fall on the ground and turn into organic manure, they nourish the tea saplings around them.

The reminiscence of the golden days of my youth spent in a green environment made me sick today being in a heavily polluted concrete jungle. The way the tea gardens were kept clean and tidy was fantastic. Sadly, the overall conservation of tea gardens, under Indian (private) management today, cannot match that of British companies. Putting things in a different perspective, we must admit that our tea gardens help keep the green outlook of Assam to a great extent, despite the rampant destruction of our forests by unscrupulous people.

My intent in writing this piece is to share some information for public consumption—on the overall scenario of tea gardens of the past. I am sure that there is a sea change in the management of the tea industry in Assam after the British left the scene.

Infrastructures and facilities in tea gardens:

The British understood the importance of the basic infrastructure required to run the tea industry efficiently. They developed a robust system to cater to its needs.

A proper infrastructure could help improve businesses and connect employees and workers to their jobs. Moreover, our economy needs a reliable framework to connect supply chains and goods and services. Back in those days, highly subsidized items like wheat flour, rice, lentils, sugar, clarified butter or ghee, kerosene, firewood, etc., were provided to the workers and staff to boost the morale of the workforce at its peak. A yearly productive bonus was also provided.

Tea plants also undergo the ageing process. With time, they lose their productivity too. Keeping that in view, the aged tea bushes are replaced with new plants grown either from seeds or through cloning. Cyclic pruning of tea bushes (during November/December/January) is also required to have a higher output and to maintain a standard height of tea bushes. Quality control in the production of tea helps to get a better price for tea in the global market.

During British time, quality control procedures were followed in letter and spirit. Now, with Indian ownership, quality control is no longer considered an important activity in the tea manufacturing process. Today, Indian owners focus more on quantity than on quality. As such, the profit earnings of tea companies have also started dwindling. However, there are still a few tea gardens in Assam that can produce world-class tea and fetch more than a lakh of rupees per kilo. But that number is minuscule. The demand for Assam tea in the international market has diminished over the years. This does not speak well of the future of our tea industry.

Now the entire tea industry of Assam has gone into the hands of Indian companies or corporations. It is in the news that the health of the tea industry is not in good condition. Either it is mismanaged or camouflaged to derive extra benefit from the State government. It seemed like they have no resources of their own to even develop roads, schools and hospitals, inside tea gardens for the benefit of its workers and staff.

Another pertinent point to note here is that they don't seem to have any commitment towards the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by involving themselves in a self-regulating business that will help a company become socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. 99.9% of tea companies in Assam did not engage themselves to invest in other businesses in Assam. From the above one thing is clear—the future of the tea industry is not bright in the hands of Indian companies. The main asset of tea gardens is its land and which belongs to the state of Assam and its people. As such, the State government is more than an equal stakeholder in the tea industry than the owner of tea companies. Therefore, the State government must keep a close look at the functioning of the tea industries in Assam.

In my concluding remark, one thing I want to state is that the British did an incredible job by establishing hundreds of tea gardens in Assam. Had there been no tea gardens, all areas would have been occupied by illegal Bangladeshis and others.