North Eastern Tea Association advice tea growers not to use sickles while plucking

GUWAHATI: North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) has started a new campaign – “Say No to kasi (sickles) for tea harvesting”. This campaign is to bring awareness among the tea growers not to use sickles during harvesting of tea leaves. Assam tea is known worldwide for its quality due to hand plucking of ‘two leaves and a bud’. During the last thirty-five years there has been huge increase in the land area under tea. In 1990, Assam’s production was 388 million kgs and in 2018, Assam’s production touched 692 million kgs. Therefore, there has been an increase of about 300 million kgs in 28 years which is about 80% increase in production in 2018 compared to 1990 figures, stated a press release.

Due to the increase of tea plantation area, there has been a shortage of workers in peak cropping months, July, August, September and October. To overcome the shortage of workers some growers have resorted to harvesting tea leaves with sickles (which is popularly known as kasi). Tea leaves harvested with sickles are very poor in quality and this is one of the major reasons in deterioration of quality of Assam tea. As per latest Tea Board figures, about 49% of tea produced in Assam is from the green tea leaves of small tea growers.

“Though majority of small tea growers do not use sickles throughout the year but we have started this campaign before it is too late”, said Nepul Saikia, Chairman NETA. “This campaign is to basically bring awareness amongst the growers on the harvesting of quality tea leaves and also to bring the attention of policymakers in providing growers with substitutes like shears, battery operated plucking machines and one/two men operated harvesting machines”, said Bidyananda Barkakoty, Adviser NETA. Tea Board has a field mechanisation scheme of 25% subsidy on plucking and pruning machines for general category and 100% subsidy for SC & ST. “This scheme can be further popularised amongst the growers and subsidy amount should be increased to 75% for general category”, said Barkakoty who is also a former Vice-Chairman of Tea Board.

“A Guwahati-based investor is developing a plucking machine with an Israeli innovator and we are expecting a prototype of it in October. This plucking machine which is in designing stage now will help in selective harvesting of tea leaves similar to hand plucking”, said Barkakoty.

Also read: Bandhs New Threat to Tea Industry: North Eastern Tea Association