Tea Board to form self-help groups of small growers

The Tea Board will soon set up a separate cell to look into problems faced by small tea growers in the country.

Commenting on the problems of the small growers, Tea Board Chairman Basudeb Banerjee said the existence of a number of unregistered associations was one of the reasons small growers were not able to avail of the benefits of government schemes.

He said, "The Tea Board aims at forming about 200 self-help groups (SHGs) of small growers in the 11th Five Year Plan. We will provide about Rs 10,000 per hectare assistance to each SHG."

Each group would comprise about 50 small growers and the board would provide special training to them, he added.

Many growers do not get any financial incentives from banks as only 10 per cent of them are registered with the Tea Board, said an official of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Grower's Association (CISTA).

Tea estates of less than 25 acres are regarded as small holdings. According to CISTA, the government had promised that small growers would get 50 per cent subsidy for putting up a processing plant.

"The government did promise us support, but we are yet to see any such move," (CISTA) President Satyajit Bordoloi said.

According to the Tea Board, small tea grower's share is about 22 per cent of the 940 million kgs annual tea production in the country.

Resenting the decision of not giving a permanent seat in the Tea Board, which is the country's promotion body for the commodity, Bordoloi said, "The Commerce Ministry has given us special invitee status in the Board, whereas CISTA had sought a permanent seat."