Building a Wider
Horizon With Labour
Small Tea Growers(STG) in India have started raising their voice demanding minimum support price for green leaf. The sector that contributes over 35%in national tea yield always remains dependent on others in tea processing chain to maintain own existence. "The greatest challenge of STGs today is the price realization for green leaf. Against our production cost of Rs 15 - 18 a kg, average return we enjoy is Rs 7 - 14 per kg. The situation has pushed STGs to the brink. It's a major threat to national tea arena too as STGs contribute near half of the national yield," said Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, President, Confederation of Indian Small tea Growers Association. CISTA is the national conglomeration of over 2.5 lakh STGs, each one with less than acre of plantation area.
