NGO endorses Udalguri tea growers' body

In yet another good news for the tea growers in the district Rwdwmkhang Small Tea Grower Society and Rwdmsha Small Tea Grower Society from Dimakuchi region of the district were among a few who bagged computers as rewards on their operational management efficiency by Centre for Education and Communication, a New Delhi based NGO,as part of their project "Sustainable Livelihoods for Small Tea Growers",supported by European Union.

The awards comprising of a Computer and a printer aimed at digitalisation of society operations along with one soil analysis kit to help them improve their productivity were handed over recently to the office bearers of the Societies by Pijush Goyari,Senior Project Manager CERC in the presence of Pronoy Basumatari,President All Bodoland Small Tea Grower's Association.

Other 13 societies who performed well to be rewarded are from Sivasagar,Karbi Anglong,Golaghat and Tinsukia districts of Assam,Unakkoti district of Tripura and Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. 40 other societies were considered for a soil analysis kit each.

It may be mentioned that a total of 598 societies from Assam,Arunachal Pradesh,Tripura,Mizoram and West BengaL were scrutinised by three member award committee comprising-P.V Ramachandran,retired Chief General Manager NABARD,Dr. Soumen Palit Faculty IIT Kharagpur and Arati Pandya,Independent development sector consultant.

Among the societies who have received the awards are those who have shown a positive frame of mind and capability in setting up their producer companies and setting up qand running of a micro/macro manufacturing unit for tea processing,financial management and marketing. These societies were selected based on the recommendations of Niiti consultation pvt. Ltd. a sustainable development solutions agency in New Delhi.

"These societies reflected a a positive frame of mind and capability in setting up their producer companies and moving up the tea value chain",said J.John Executive director,CEC.

The STGs mostly supply green leaf to processing factories(Bought Leaf Factories),remain at the lower value of the tea value chain,STG's are acutely dependent on middlemen(leaf agents) to sell their product and for credit requirement.