CISTGA demand to pay minimum price fixed for green tea leaves

A CORRESPONDENT

JORHAT: The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers' Association has asked the Tea Board of India and the State Government to ensure that bought leaf factories pay the minimum benchmark price for green tea leaves.

Achyut Prasad Gogoi, secretary of CISTGA, said that in the past couple of months, bought leaf factories had not been paying small tea growers the minimum benchmark price fixed by the Tea Board of India.

"In this connection we are seeking that the minimum price be paid to us because if this trend continues then small tea growers will face an uncertain future," Gogoi said. He also said that the small tea growers had already suffered a lot this year due to the pandemic, consequent lockdowns and also scarcity of chemical fertilizers in the market.

Gogoi further said that in the beginning of this year, the future seemed more secure as global and domestic demand for tea had increased due to tea being promoted as an immunity booster. About 2.5 lakh workers and their families are dependent on tea in India but the scenario looks bleak with bought leaf factories not paying the minimum price fixed for green leaf.

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