Small tea growers threaten agitation over TMCO

If Tea Marketing Control Order (TMCO) Act 2003 was not implemented in Assam in "letter and spirit", the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association (AASTGA) has threatened to go for agitation, beginning next year.

Following an abnormal dip in the price of green leaf tea, the state government had directed the Tea Board to implement TMCO, which envisages price sharing formula between green suppliers and tea factories, in the state. Though the Tea Board formed a committee to monitor fair price sharing, nothing much could be achieved as nearly 70 per cent of the factories were hesitant when it came to share sale figures with the Board.

 

“If the Tea Board fails to implement the price sharing formula in true letter and spirit, we will again take to the streets. When prices of finished tea at auction centres were firm, why aren’t we getting the true remuneration for the green leaves we supply? This exploitation of small tea growers will have to stop,” said Prodip Saikia, Executive Member of AASTGA.

Saikia questioned how could the Tea Board surrender before rogue factories and do not implement TMCO. Price of green leaf tea fell to as low as Rs 3 in October, triggering widespread resentment among small tea growers, many of whom are marginal farmers, across the state.

The AASTGA also demanded that Rs. 18 be made as the minimum support price for per kilogram of green tea in the state. “The cost of production of a kg of green leaf is Rs. 12.10. Given that the factories often behave as a cartel and pay us extremely low price, the state government should announce Rs. 18 as the minimum support price of green leaf tea,” said Saikia.

The AASTGA also demanded the state government to soon expedite the process of issuing land-ownership deeds (land pattas) to small tea growers. Nearly, 90 per cent of the small tea growers in Assam do not possess land-deeds, thus remaining deprived of various benefits and support from the Tea Board.

Out of 67,000 (official figure) small tea growers in Assam, just 7,000 of them possess ownership deeds and are, therefore, registered with the Tea Board.

“Though the market demands good quality tea, most of us do not get any support from the Tea Board in quality upgradation as just 7 per cent of us are registered with it. The non-possession of land-deeds is increasingly becoming a major issue affecting nearly lakhs of small tea growers,” said Saikia.

Saikia added that despite making several petitions before the state government, the government’s role has been very lackadaisical.

Assam has around 1 lakh small tea growers and they contribute nearly 29 per cent of the total tea produced in the state.