Skip to content Skip to navigation

Small tea growers of Assam face uncertain future

More than sixty five thousand small tea growers of Assam are facing uncertain future due to unilateral decision of state government, imposing surcharge on green tea leaves at the rate of 20 paisa per kg in addition to a fine of Rs 200 per Bigha, with effect from July 1, 2003. For more than three decades since the year 1978, indigenous youths of Assam with their capital and labor established more than 65 thousand small tea gardens in the state. These tea growers through schemes of self-employment, earned livelihood for their families. Besides that, they provided indirect rehabilitation to about nine lakhs people. These tea farmers helped in building socio-economic structure by producing twenty nine percent teas produced in the state of Assam and fourteen percent of India. It also protected the land in use by small tea farming around state tea borders.


Depending upon the green leaves from the small farmers 220 brought-leaves factories came up in the state. The small tea growers have been supplying green leaves to about 300 factories. It is a matter of great regret that even after six decades of independence of the country the indigenous people of this state have not been given settlement of land.


Out of 65,000 unsettled small tea farmers only 3,000 have got registration with the Tea Board of India. These small farmers are in position to get monetary assistance from the financial institutions. In the neighboring Arunachal Pradesh, all small tea growers even got registration with the Tea Board, as they have been given settlement of land. It may be mentioned in this connection that In Tamil Nadu out of 63,000 farmers all are registered with Tea Board.


All Assam Small Tea Growers Association (AASTGA), an organization of small tea growers established in 1987, appealed to the state government, chief minister and high officials, several times and launched agitation, had discussions, but it did not get any fruitful results. All efforts had gone to deaf ears. On the other hand by increasing revenue and fine, the government is trying to deprive them getting even their livelihood.


It may be added in this context that in the budget of 2008-09, there was a proposal to collect surcharge of 20 paisa per kg from the purchaser. But the Assam Taxation (on Specified Land Amendment) Act 2009, this tax is being collected from the small tea growers only. The Brahmaputra Valley tea growers have to pay this tax at the rate of 32 paisa per kg and the Barak Valley farmers @ 29 paisa. In contrast of this the big tea gardens having more than thousand Bigha of land are exempted, while small tea growers having below 75 Bighas are affected by imposition of surcharge at the rate of 20 paisa per kg.


According to Land Reforms Act 1997, the small farmers having land up to 30 Bigha were exempted from all type of taxation. During last decade the rate of tea leaves produced by small farmers was Rs.8 per kg, whereas the production cost of green leaves was Rs.7, 50. The production per Bigha varies from 800 to 1500 kgs. Keeping the average production at 1200 kgs too, the expenditure on production comes to Rs.9,000 and income; Rs.9,600 With this income of Rs.600 per Bigha on 30 Bigha land, total earning comes to Rs.18,000 annually, which is not sufficient to support even a small family.


The AASTGA, representing the small tea growers recently in an interaction with media revealed that the present chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, erstwhile the leader of opposition on September 4, 2000, had assured the agitating small tea growers, that if his government came to power, he would redress all the problems, but after completing two terms as chief minister, he has forgotten those assurances.


Author info

Daya Nath Singh's picture

Journalist; Guwahati Press Club office Secretary

Comments

Thomas Ninan's picture

This act will be having a negative economical effect in assams development.As Agricultural income in theses area is too poor,the people do cutivate Tea in high area and more or less its a family affair to educate their chidren in institution outside Assam ,as the educational infrastructure is too poor in Assam. The state is fast comming out of insurgency and the Babus at the helm of this should understand these basic ideas before falling on being tax neutral for the state
christine jeffees's picture

It is a disgrace that the Indian Government allows this to go on. The rest of the world should be informed.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

Tiger terror in Guwahati; leopard captured

8 Jan 2012 - 4:15am | editor
Four persons have been injured when a fully grown leopard attacked them after storming into a residential area in Guwahati on Saturday. The leopard ran into a house on the Nabagraha Road in...

Muslim body condemns murder

3 Sep 2015 - 7:15pm | Mithun Baruah
The All Assam Muslim Yuva Parishad (S) has strongly condemned the Burma Camp incident where four construction workers gangraped and killed a college girl on her way to Margherita last week.AAMYP Vice...

Rhino census over: KNP reopens on Monday

9 Apr 2012 - 1:57am | editor
The rhino census in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam is over on Sunday. KNP officials expect rise in the number of the animals. The census began on Saturday in all the ranges but bad weather...

Daring indeed: 8 trapped people rescued

28 Jun 2012 - 5:39pm | editor
IAF helicopter pilots from Mohanbari airbase in Dibrugarh managed to evacuated eight people who were trapped in strong flood waters. These include three pregnant women and two accompanying doctors,...

Other Contents by Author

Gamusas and Japis are two important items in Assam, which are in much demand throughout the year in the state especially during festival seasons and social functions. These items are demanded by the people to honor the guests and honorable persons during each and every event.  However, it has been found that throughout the festival seasons the supply of locally woven gamusas are not according to demand by the customers. The reason behind it is said to be heavy cost of the locally produced items. On the other hand the weavers and traders from other parts of the country take advantage of supplying gamusas at cheaper rates and make more profit despite spending heavy cost on...
Archaeological Survey of India, Guwahati circle, has been trying to take-up the work of repairing of a broken pillar in the Mandap of Hayagriva Madhav Temple at Hajo for a long time. ASI, Guwahati has informed the media through a press note that one of the pillars of ancient temple was broken in three parts due to rusting of the iron dowels holding each other and the other developed cracks due to the same reason and widened more after the earthquake of May 2015. Hayagriva Madhav Temple is a reconstructed temple during the Koch period. The architectural parts of the earlier temple have been used for reconstruction. Different parts of the temple have been used randomly for making the pillars...
There is a generation gap between the signing of Assam Accord on the Independence Day 1985 and the present generation has to face new challenges to compete with the world class people in all spheres of development. The young people are confused over the airing of old issues which have lasted for long 31 years in absence of any solution. The issues pertaining to the Accord have become irrelevant under the present circumstances. The Assam Accord issue is still haunting and confusing the present generation due to absence of a clear picture. The fate of the Accord is not known to the people in general. A few politicians and intellectuals are trying to raise the issues of the accord from time to...
It is an established fact that a person involved in political activities cannot remain in peace till his cherished dreams are fulfilled. This can be noticed through the recent statements of former Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, who has been expressing his views frequently in media against the four months old BJP-led alliance government in the state under the chief minister ship of Sarwanand Sonowal.  He (Gogoi) dares to demand a ‘white paper’ from state government about the steps taken by it to clear the encroachments of forest and other government  lands in the state and also to let the people of the state know, what action it has taken to identify and deport the foreign...
Addressing a huge gathering of residents of Udaypur, Jonakpur and Birubari at Udaypur Kali Mandir complex on Sunday, July 3, 2016, East Guwahati Assembly Member, Siddharth Bhattacharjee, emphasized the need of implementing the vision document of development as envisaged by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at the function organized by Udaypur Yuva Sangha to felicitate him on his success in the recently concluded polls to the state Assembly, he conveyed his thanks to the people of the area for showing their confidence in him. He assured the people that he would not let their confidence go in vain. The meeting was presided over by Dr Phani Borah. Senior citizen of the locality Kartik...
Hardly a few days ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Alliance has taken the reign of Assam administration the results of efforts made by Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi to bring back black money to the state coffer, has started recently with the arrest of Dhemaji Divisional Forest Officer, Mahat Chandra Talukdar by anti-corruption department. For a long time the reports of wildlife crimes were in the air, but the previous state administration ruled by Congress Party under the three-terms  leadership of Tarun Gogoi did not try to take any action. The former Chief Minister Gogoi was under a wrong impression that the people who gave him a...
A study conducted by B Boruah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, has revealed that during a decade from 2001-02 to 2011-12, cancer cases in the north-eastern part of the country have gone up from 5,404 to 8,708. A campaign, namely, Cycle 4 ride can help control this dreaded disease. In order to raise awareness to fight cancer a lady, namely, Marcellna Sangma, is going to lead a Biker Mission to 600 kms long stretch from Guwahati to Bum La Pass, near Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. The ride is scheduled to be flagged off by Dr Amar Chandra Kataki, Director, B Boruah Cancer Institute, on April 21, 2016.Expressing her traumatic experience with cancer, Sangma, who was a cancer patient a decade...
Being disturbed since the first phase of polling for Assam Assembly on April 4 last, the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi is finding it difficult to remember the history of Assam agitation propelled by All Assam Students Union (AASU) since the year 1979 to the Independence Day of 1985, resulting in the Assam Accord which was signed between the Assam Government and the movement leaders in presence of erstwhile prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Heavy polling beyond 85 percent of the electorate in the second phase also made Gogoi to think over the majority of young and new voters were not the ‘beneficiaries of getting blankets, yarn and mosquito nets’. They are young, energetic, literate and...
Continuing campaigns for Assam Assembly elections have confused the Assam intellectuals to raise vital issues before the future state legislators and improve the quality of political atmosphere affecting the entire society for quite some time. Almost all political parties have started ‘derogatory’ comments against their rivals for attracting the electorates by their acts and objectives about which they are themselves ignorant. The main reason behind such interpretation is lack of knowledge about the real issues on which the political parties are campaigning. Assam as a state of multi-lingual and religious people continued to be disturbed since the year1979, when several organizations under...
Long awaited North East Graduate Congress, an initiative of Education Research Development Foundation (ERDF) is going to be held from February 26 to 28, 2016. This is the only graduate congress in India being organized by University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) in association with RIST and supported by the State Bank of India (SBI). The venue of the congress is the USTM campus at 9th mile, Khanapara. Addressing the media persons in Guwahati on February 14, 2016, the USTM spokesperson informed that the three days congress is aimed to enhance all round development and bring out the capabilities of future graduates through various life skill processes to bring out  their...