Fix minimum support price for green leaf tea: Association

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The Small and Tiny Tea Growers' Association of Nilgiris District has written to the chairman of the Tea Board of India, Kolkata, seeking his intervention in its long-pending demand that a minimum support price or remunerative price be fixed for green leaf tea.

The petition is submitted ahead of the board meeting of the Tea Board of India, scheduled to be held in Coonoor on August 14. The letter has highlighted that the officials of the Tea Board have taken no action against the defaulting bought leaf factories despite multiple complaints by the farmers.J B Subramanian, founder president of the Small and Tiny Tea Growers Association of Nilgiris District, stated, "Around 65,000 families of small tea growers in the Nilgiris have been struggling for decades without receiving the minimum support price for the green leaf teas they supply to bought leaf factories, including the Industrial Cooperative (Indco) tea factories and green tea leaf agents."The cost of producing one kilogram of green leaf tea under current conditions exceeds Rs 25. However, small tea growers are receiving prices ranging from Rs 14 to Rs 15. As a result, the farmers are finding it difficult to cover wages, maintain their tea gardens, and meet essential living expenses, including those for health and education, it said.Every month, the executive director of the Tea Board (South) in Coonoor announces the average price for green leaf tea after a meeting held by the price monitoring committee, which is headed by the district collector. This announcement is made in accordance with the directives of the Madras high court, stating that all bought leaf tea factories should pay farmers no less than the specified price."Many bought leaf tea factories, particularly the Indco tea factories, are not adhering to the required standards and are paying farmers at least Rs 2 to Rs 4 less than the price set by the board,” said Subramanian.