CHAPTER-I

INTRODUCTION

ORIGIN OF TEA:

Tea is one o f the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The discovery

o f this health drink in China dates back to 2737 B.C. The discovery o f the plant is

ascribed to the Chinese emperor Shen Nong who ruled during that period. The

botanical name o f the tea plant is Camellia sinensis (L).O.Kuntze1. The Chinese

people used tea for its medicinal values since its discovery. The commercial

production o f tea started m uch later in about 650 A.D. during the rules o f the

Tsang dynasty. By that time tea had gained popularity as a beverage. A Chinese

philosopher Lu Yu had written the first book on tea named CHA CHENG the Tea

Classic in the year 780 A.D.

Later on the seed and sapling o f tea, made tea and the culture o f drinking

tea spread to other A sian countries. Tea entered Japan in 6^/7^ centuiy through

Buddhist monks.2 Then it spread to other A sian countries like Tibet, Bhutan,

Myanmar, Thailand, Korea, MongohaandneighbouringArunachal Pradesh o f India

etc.

The people o f the w estern countries were not aware o f tea until the 16th

centuiy. Tea entered European countries from Japan and China through merchants

o f different w estern countries like Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and B ritain etc.

The elite class o f European countries started drinking tea im ported from China

and Japan from the year 1610 onwards. Gradually tea gained its popularity in
 2

these countries and becam e a habit for all. Now, more than 131 countries in the

world import tea from around 35 tea producing countries. A bout h a lf o f the total

populations in the w orld consume tea amounting to over 800 m illion cups per

day.3 Among the leading producers o f tea in the w orld India occupies die top

position. O ther m ajor tea producing countries are China, Sri Lanka, Kenya,

Indonesia, Japan etc.

PROFILE OF MAJOR TEA PRODUCING COUNTRIES

TEA IN CHINA:

China is the pioneer o f tea cultivation in the world. Originally tea was used for

its medicinal values. Later on, the people o f China started cultivation o f tea to use it

as a beverage. Different varieties o f tea are manufactured in the tea factories o f

China. M ost o f them are green tea. Other two important varieties are black tea and

Oolong tea. Different varieties o f tea can be produced from the same green leaves

by applying various manufacturing processes. Before the establishment o f Indian

Tea Industry, China was the principal producer and exporter o f tea in the world. But

from the later part o f the 19* century India occupied top position in the production

o f tea. In case o f production and export o f green tea, Chinas share is the highest in

the world. Presently China produces about 25.3% o f the total volume o f tea in the

world. (Table 1.1)

TEA IN SRI LANKA:

Tea plantation was started in Sri Lanka in the year 1869 A.D.4 Prior to

cultivation o f tea, coffee was produced there. But due to severe pest attack, coffee

was replaced by tea. Now, Sri Lanka occupies a very prom inent position in the
 3

world market o f tea as a principal exporter. Sri Lankan Tea Board controls the

affairs o f the tea industry in the country. Around 300m kgs o f tea is produced

here per annum. The planted area is about 2 lakh ha. Tea is produced here by big

companies as w ell as by small tea growers. Orthodox variety o f tea is mainly

produced here. The tea industry o f Sri Lanka is fully dependent on export

market. M ore than 90% o f the total tea produced here is exported to different

countries o f the world. Presently Sri Lankas share in the w orld tea production is

around 9.3% (Table 1.1)

TEAIN KENYA:

Cultivation o f tea was started in Kenya in the year 1918. N ow Kenya is a

major producer and exporter o f tea in the world. The industry is fully dependent on

export Around 95% o f the total tea producedhere is exported to different countries.

Small tea growers play an important role in the production o f tea in this country.

Generally green leaf is plucked here at an interval o f 17 days. Two rainy seasons are

there in Kenya; one in April-May and the other in October-November. Tea is sold in

the auction centre situated at Mombasa. Presently Kenya produces around 9.8% o f

world tea. (Table 1.1)

TEA IN INDONESIA:

Tea cultivation was initiated here in the year 1850 A.D; but commercial

production was started in 1878. The large tea companies produce other plantation

crops like rubber, cinchona, coconut and tim ber along w ith tea. Therefore, tea

does not get priority. Tea is produced here by government corporations, large

private com panies and small tea growers. Both black tea and green tea is

manufactured here. The share o f Indonesia in the production o f tea in the world is

around 5% (Table 1.1) C

 4

TEA IN JAPAN:

The tea industry of Japan is very old. Tea was brought to Japan from China

by Buddhist Monks in the 6th/7' century. Most of the plantations are owned by

small tea growers. Almost the entire tea produced here is green tea. The plucking

season starts in May and ends in October. Due to shortage of workers, machine

plucking is done here. Japan produces around 3% of the world tea production.

Some other major tea producing countries in the world are Vietnam, Malawi,

Turkey, Bangladesh etc.

Table 1.1 shows the production, acreage etc. of some major tea producing

countries in the world.

TABLE-1.1
TEA PRODUCTION IN MAJOR TEA PRODUCING COUNTRIES
______ _____________ (in Million Kilogram) ____________
2004 2005
Name of the Area under Production Export Area under Production Export
Countries tea (in ha) tea (in ha)

CHINA 1262310 835.2 280.2 NA NA 286.6

INDIA 521403 892.9 197.6 NA 927.9 187.6

SRI LANKA 188720 308.1 291.6 NA 314.8 298.8
KENYA 131418 324.6 333.8 NA 328.5 349.7
INDONESIA 142782 164.8 98.6 NA NA NA
OTHERS 528164 780.3 338.2 NA NA NA
TOTAL 2774797 3305.9 1540.0 NA NA NA

Source: Tea Digest-2004 and Official Records of ABITA

 5

TEA IN INDIA:

During 17* and 18* century England imported tea from China through East-

India Company. This was the monopoly business o f the Company. B ut from the

later part o f the 18th century the Chinese authorities raised some objections to

this monopoly in tea trade by the East India Company. This resulted in snapping

the trade-agreement w ith British in 1833 A.D. It compelled the British authorities

to think over an alternate source o f supply o f tea. Incidentally during the same

period the possibility o f cultivating tea in India was under consideration o f the

British authorities in India. In 1778 Sir Joseph Bank was asked to prepare a report

on the possibility o f w hat new crops could be grow n in India.5 Considering the

increasing popularity o f tea among the British and taking into account the soil and

climatic conditions o f India Sir Bank had given top priority on tea cultivation in

his report.

In the year 1815 an army officer o f the East India Company nam ed Colonel

Latters observed and noted for the first time that some hill tribes o f erstwhile

Assam particularly the Singphos and Khamtis knew the use o f a drink similar to

tea. Tea was called by the Singphos as Phanap.6In 1823 indigenous tea plant was

discovered in the forests o f Upper- Assam by Mr. R obert Bruce and his brother

Mr. C. A. Bruce with the help o f Beesha Gaum, a Singpho chief o f Sadia in Tinsukia

district.7 It was a very im portant discovery. B ut it took ten years to confirm the

genuinity o f the tea plant discovered in Assam by the government botanists of

Kolkata. Lord W illiam Bantinck, the then Governor General o f British India, had

constituted a seven m em ber Tea Committee on 1st February 1834 to examine

the possibility o f cultivating tea in India. The Committee was headed by Dr.

N.WalHch, a botanist and Mr. G. Gordon was its secretary. O n the recommendation
 6

o f this Committee tea cultivation was initiated in India in 1835 on experimental

basis in the Brahmaputra Valley o f Assam. This was the beginning o f commercial

production o f tea. Gradually it was expanded to other places o f India, viz, Darjeeling

(1839) D ehradoon (1840) Barak Valley o f Assam (1855) Terai (1862) Dooars

(1874) and South India etc. N ow India is the largest producer and consumer o f

tea in the world. Table 1.2 shows Indias position in the production o f tea in recent

years.

Table 1.2
INDIAN TEA SCENARIO DURING 1997TO 2005
(in million kgs)
Year Produc Imports Total Exports Consum Total cumulative Auction
tion Avail ption Absorp surplus/ Price
ability tions Shortage Rs./per
kg
1997 810 3 813 203 610 813 0 66.89
1998 874 9 883 210 650 860 23 76.43
1999 826 10 836 192 630 822 37 72.79
2000 847 14 861 207 615 822 76 61.71
2001 854 17 871 183 655 838 109 61.66
2002 838 25 863 201 700 901 116 55.96
2003 878 10 888 174 735 909 95 56.03
2004 893 31 924 198 760 958 61 64.55
2005 928 1-6 944 188 790 978 27 58.06

S ource: Assam Branch o f Indian Tea Association, Guwahati.

The Table shows an increasing trend in the production and consumption o f

tea in last three years; but the volume o f export is not showing any signs o f

improvement

Assam produces m ore than 50% o f Indian tea. Other tea producing states o f

India are Tamilnadu, W est Bengal, U ttar Pradesh, Him achal Pradesh, Kerala,
 7

Karnataka, Tripura etc. The share o f tea production o f different States o f India is

shown in the Figure - 1:

Assam

West-Bengal

Tamilnadu

Kerala

O Tripura

Others

Figure-1
Percentage Share of Tea
Produced by different States of India
Source: Directorate of Tea. Assam

TEA IN ASSAM:

Tea plantation in Assam was started in the year 1835 after it was confirmed

by the "Tea Committee' that tea plants found in Assam were identical to those

available in China. This fact was declared by the Tea Committee on 24th December.

1834. This cleared the desk for cultivation o f tea in Assam. Initially attempts

were made to plant tea with seeds from China. But later on it was found that local

variety o f tea was much better than the Chinese variety. About 120 number o f tea

tracts were discovered in different areas o f Upper- Assam in an investigation led

by Mr. C.A. Bruce up to June, 1839 who was appointed as Superintendent ol'Tea

Forests in May, 1836. Manufacturing o f tea was initiated with green leaves plucked

from existing tea plants. Manufacturing o f tea was supervised by experts brought
 8

from China. The first consignment o f Assam Tea consisting o f 12 chests was sent

to London in March, 1838.8This first lot o f Assam teareceived veiy goodresponse

from brokers and experts. The Assam Company was form ed in February, 1839

with a capital o f 5 lakh divided into 10000 shares o f 50 each. It was the first

company for cultivation, manufacture and sale o f tea in India. The experimental

tea plantations o f the government were handed over to this company.

In the year 1859 another tea company named Jorehaut Tea Com pany was

formed w ith a capital o f 60000. And gradually plantation o f tea picked up

momentum in Assam. Large tea estates were established by the British by forming

private limited companies to produce and market tea in India. Large quantities o f

tea produced by these companies were sold abroad. Assam produced 11.3 million

pound o f tea in 1872 which rose to 234 million pound in 1922. During this period

most o f the large tea estates were established in Assam. It is w orthy to note here

that the entrepreneurship o f British tea planters had inspired some local people

to establish their own tea gardens. The pioneer among them was M aniram Dewan.

He was the first Indian Tea Planter who had two gardens Chinamora and Singlow,

situated in undivided Sivasagar district o f Assam. N um ber o f other rich families

had also started tea plantations in Upper- Assam during that period. After

independence m ost o f the British tea planters gradually handed over their tea

estates to their Indian counterparts. Lately some non-resident Indians and Multi-

National Companies have also entered in tea industry.

In 1841, area under tea plantation in Assam was 2312 acres w hich rose to

8000 acres in 1859, 52000 acres in 1872 and 338000 acres in 1901. Presently

tea planted area in Assam is 2.72 lakh hectares (2004).

 9

Tea produced in Assam during the recent years is shown in the Table -1.3:

Table-1.3

PRODUCTION OF TEA IN A SSA M

(in million kgs)

Year Production

1995 402.6

1996 423.9

1997 425.1

1998 467.0

1999 437.3

2000 449.2

2001 453.9

2002 433.0

2003 453.0

2004 437.0

2005 475.0

Source: Tea Statistics, Tea Board of India & ABITA

SMALL TEA CULTIVATION:

Cultivation of tea on a small scale is a usual practice in many tea producing

countries like China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia etc. In China, tea was

cultivated in family holdings from ancient past. Tea is cultivated on small scale

like any other crops. China occupies the first position in the world in so far as the

area under tea plantation is concerned. She is the largest producer and exporter of

green tea in the world. Small tea growers of China play an important role by

producing major portion of tea in the country.

 10

In Japan, the entire production o f tea is done by small tea growers. Large tea

estates are not there in Japan. The holding size o f small tea growers ranges from

0.01 hectare to 2 hectare. It is noteworthy that the yield rate o f tea in Japan is very

high in comparison to other tea producing countries o f Asia.

There are 2,06,650 small tea growers in Sri Lanka planting tea on 82,900

hectare o f land. They produce around 60% o f the Sri Lankan tea. The yield rate of

small tea holding is much higher than that o f large tea estates. The yield rate is

2166 kg made tea per hectare in small holdings o f Sri Lanka. 304 Bought Leaf

Factories are there in Sri Lanka. Tea Small Holdings Development Authority

established in 1975 looks after the functioning o f small tea growers and provide

all types o f assistance like subsidies, fertilizers, training, advisory services etc

Kenya is another country where small tea growers play an important role.

Small tea cultivation was started here in 1950. M ost o f the tea is grown here by

small family holdings. The average size o f small holders tea plot is 0.38 hectare

The annual growth in production is around 7-10 percent. Kenya Tea Development

Authority controls the small tea growers o f Kenya. Tea factories are built by

government for small tea growers. Active participation o f family members in

production o f tea has made the cost o f production low in Kenya. The yield rate is

around 2100 kg/ha. Kenya is a major exporter o f tea in recent times.

Tea is cultivated on a small scale also in Malawi, Indonesia, and Turkey etc

In Turkey upper limit o f land for plantation o f tea is fixed at 4 hectare per grower

But the average size o f the small holdings is around 1.25 hectare. In Nepal, tea is

produced on a small scale by around 6000 growers. They produce around 22% of

the total tea produced in the country.

 11

SMALL TEA CULTIVATION IN INDIA:

In India, small tea cultivation was initiated in the Nilgiris of Tamilnadu in
1930s. Later on tea cultivation on small scale was taken up in some other parts of
Tamilnadu and neighbouring States of Kerala and Karnataka. Presently there a r e

62000 small tea growers in the Nilgiris of Tamilnadu alone producing nearly 78
million kg of tea per annum.9 About 5000 small tea growers are there in Kerala
Karnataka produces a small quantity of South Indian tea.
Tea is cultivated on a small scale in Kangra and Mandi districts of Himachal
Pradesh for many years. In mid 1990s small scale tea cultivation was initiated in
Tripura with active participation of the State Government. The Government is
trying to develop a small tea sector all over the State through its Block level
initiatives and supervision. During the period 1998 - 2003 tea was planted on
hillocks (tillas) and hill slopes, covering an area of about 1380 hectare which was
handed over to 3446 families (beneficiaries). These families mainly belong to
indigenous tribal people, living below poverty line.
In recent years tea is cultivated on small scale in some other States of North
East India viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya. Small tea cultivation
is found in North Bengal and Sikkim also. Small tea cultivation in India is gaming
much importance in recent years. The increase in the number of bought leaf tea
factories and co-operative tea factories in India as shown in Table 1.4 establishes
this fact.
 12

Table-1 .4
PRODUCTION OF TEA BY CO-OPERATIVE AND BOUGHT LEAF TEA
FACTORIES IN INDIA (IN MILLION KG.)

S ta te s 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 4

N o . P r o d u c tio n N o . P r o d u c tio n N o . P r o d u c tio n

A S S A M

B L F 1 3 9 5 3 .2 7 1 5 1 6 5 .2 8 1 6 2 7 7 .6 0

C O -O P F C Y 1 0 .0 8 1 0 .0 5

T O T A L 1 3 9 5 3 .2 7 1 5 2 6 5 .3 6 1 6 3 7 7 .6 5

W Z B E N G A L

B L F 5 6 3 3 .4 4 6 9 3 7 .7 4 7 9 4 9 .5 9

C O -O P F C Y

T O T A L 5 6 3 3 .4 4 6 9 3 7 .4 4 7 9 4 9 .5 9

H IM A C H A L

P R A D E S H

B L F

C O -O P F C Y 4 0 .4 4 4 0 .4 4 4 0 .4 4

T O T A L 4 0 .4 4 4 0 .4 4 4 0 .4 4

T A M IL N A D U

B L F 1 5 9 6 7 .4 3 1 8 2 7 5 .8 0 1 8 5 8 0 .7 2

C O -O P F C Y 1 6 1 1 .1 9 15 1 4 .0 6 15 1 4 .1 2

T O T A L 1 7 5 7 8 .6 2 1 9 7 8 9 .8 6 2 0 0 9 4 .8 4

K E R A L A

B L F 1 2 0 .9 4 1 6 2 .3 2 1 8 2 .9 5

C O -O P F C Y 2 0 .8 1 2 0 .8 3 2 0 .8 5

T O T A L 1 4 1 .7 5 1 8 3 .1 5 2 0 3 .8 0

O T H E R S

B L F 5 1 .9 2 1 0 2 .8 5 11 3 .1 6

C O -O P F C Y

T O T A L 5 1 .9 2 1 0 2 .8 5 11 3 .1 6

A L L IN D IA

B L F 3 7 1 1 5 7 .0 4 2 8 1 8 3 .9 9 4 5 5 2 1 4 .0 2

C O -O P F C Y 2 2 1 2 .4 4 2 2 1 5 .3 8 2 2 1 5 .4 5

T O T A L 3 9 3 1 6 9 .4 4 4 5 0 1 9 9 .3 7 4 7 7 2 9 9 .4 7

S o u r c e : T e a D ig e st - 2 0 0 4 , p u b lish e d in M a r c h , 2 0 0 6 b y

T e a B o a r d o f In d ia .
 1 3

SMALL TEA CULTIVATION IN ASSAM:

The tea industry of Assam is about 170 years old. But cultivation of tea on a
small scale is comparatively a new idea in Assam. Until recently, tea plantation was
thought to be a very big affair in Assam. Purchase and sale of green leaf were not
common practices. This new turn in tea industry has been taking place from the
later part o f 1970s with the establishment of a few small tea gardens in Upper-
Assam by some local entrepreneurs. Though Assam produces more than 50% of
Indian tea, prior to 1970s, the numbers of small tea gardens in Assam were very few
in comparison to other major tea producing States of India. This is discernible from
the Table 1.5 :
 STATE-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF SMALL TEA GROWERS IN INDIA
(Area- in Hectares)

8
o

(H
V
04

oo
1962

n
Year

OO
Upto 50 ha Up to 5 to Total Up to 10.12 ha 10.12 ha Total
Name of States 5 ha 50ha to 50 ha
Nos Area Nos Nos Nos Area Nos Area Nos Area Nos Area

14
14

14
VO
14

cs
00
<n
3113 3302 42492 41249 3022 42598 44271

o< 1
Assam

r -
14

14
ii 0\
CO 14

14
CO

VO
West Bengal 324 369 8398 9500 441 8416 9941
14
vo 00 VO

Os
14
00

00
ii
vo
Tripura 238 235 1338 397 1084 1735

o
t"
14

14

14

1 -4
oo

14
o ON
00

1
Bihar 43 39 1850 27 981

1
14
(N

2
Himachal NA NA 3655 1625 440 3676 2065
Pradesh
Tamilnadu 4970 8563 5375 327 5702 9194 61985 43157 109 2176 62094 45333

o
1 -4
i <
Kerala 1890 2275 2306 2407 2971 5999 4810 40 941 6039 5751

rn
1 -4

t4
*n
oo

*n
t--
83
* <

VO

Karnataka 102 89

i4
14
t-*

>n

1 4
1626* 3387

On
Others 335 245 1574 2542 52 845
so
00
eo

Total 7039 14993 7708 584 8292 16444 126167 106154 8391 126535 114545
14

S o u r c e : T e a S t a t i s t i c s , T e a B o a r d o f I n d i a
 1 5

T a b l e 1 . 5 s h o w s t h a t i n 1 9 6 0 s p l a n t a t i o n u p t o 5 0 h e c t a r e w e r e t r e a t e d a s

s m a l l t e a c u l t i v a t i o n . D u r i n g t h a t d e c a d e n u m b e r o f s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s i n A s s a m

w a s v e r y l e s s i n c o m p a r i s o n t o T a m i l n a d u a n d K e r e l a . I n t h e l a t t e r p a r t o f t h a t

d e c a d e p l a n t a t i o n u p t o 5 h e c t a r e w a s s h o w n s e p a r a t e l y i n T e a S t a t i s t i c s . I t i s

d i s c e r n i b l e f r o m t h e t a b l e t h a t m o s t o f t h e s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s o f S o u t h I n d i a

h a v e p l a n t a t i o n s b e l o w 5 h e c t a r e . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i n c a s e o f A s s a m , t h e n u m b e r

o f s u c h s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s w a s o n l y 1 6 . P r e s e n t l y , t e a p l a n t a t i o n u p t o 1 0 . 1 2 h a

i s t r e a t e d a s s m a l l t e a p l a n t a t i o n . I n t h e y e a r 2 0 0 2 a s i g n i f i c a n t r i s e i n t h e n u m b e r

o f s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s i n A s s a m i s n o t i c e d f r o m t h e t a b l e i n c o m p a r i s o n t o 1 9 6 0 s .

N u m b e r o f s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s i n t h e r a n g e o f 1 0 . 1 2 h a t o 5 0 h a r e m a i n s a l m o s t

c o n s t a n t i n A s s a m i n t h e s e f o u r d e c a d e s . B u t i n c a s e o f S o u t h I n d i a , t e a g r o w e r s

o f t h i s c a t e g o r y a r e d e c r e a s e d .

A s p e r T e a A c t 1 9 5 3 , a p r i o r a p p r o v a l f r o m T e a B o a r d o f I n d i a w a s

n e c e s s a r y f o r c u l t i v a t i o n o f t e a i n I n d i a . T h i s B o a r d i s r e s p o n s i b l e t o r e g u l a t e

o u t p u t , q u a l i t y , m a r k e t i n g e t c . o f t e a . I t g i v e s a p p r o v a l o n c u l t i v a t i o n o f t e a o n

v i r g i n s o i l , s u b j e c t t o f u l f i l m e n t o f c e r t a i n c o n d i t i o n s s u c h a s p r o o f o f

o w n e r s h i p o f l a n d a n d s i z e o f t h e h o l d i n g o n w h i c h p l a n t a t i o n o f t e a i s

p r o p o s e d , p r o o f o f s u i t a b i l i t y o f s o i l f o r c u l t i v a t i o n o f t e a , p r o o f o f f i n a n c i a l

s o u n d n e s s e t c . B e f o r e i n d e p e n d e n c e o f I n d i a , c e r t a i n r e s t r i c t i o n s w e r e

i m p o s e d o n c u l t i v a t i o n o f t e a t o k e e p c o n t r o l o n q u a l i t y a n d q u a n t i t y o f t e a

p r o d u c e d i n I n d i a , T h e s e r e s t r i c t i o n s s t o o d a s h i n d r a n c e t o t h e g r o w t h o f s m a l l

t e a c u l t i v a t i o n . G r a d u a l l y t h e s e r e s t r i c t i o n s w e r e e l i m i n a t e d a n d i n 1 9 7 8 , M r .

S o n e s w a r B o r a , t h e t h e n A g r i c u l t u r e M i n i s t e r o f A s s a m h a d g i v e n a c a l l t o t h e

y o u t h s o f A s s a m t o c u l t i v a t e t e a o n a p l o t o f 1 . 3 4 h e c t a r e ( 1 0 b i g h a ) 1 0 . T h i s c a l l

w a s r e s p o n d e d w e l l b y t h e y o u t h s o f A s s a m w i t h a m o d e s t b e g i n n i n g i n 1 9 7 8 .
 16

Thereafter, growth and expansion o f small tea cultivation in Assam is

noteworthy. All Assam Small Tea Growers Association was formed at Golaghat

on 18 October, 1987. Prior to formation o f this Association, there were a number

o f other Associations o f small tea growers in some places o f U pper- Assam, viz,

All Assam Green (Tea) L eaf producers Association o f Tinsukia and Dibm garh

districts, Charaipoong Self employed Tea Growers Association and Rural Tea

Growers Association, Bhawani Bill, Barhat etc. Later on, all these associations

were dissolved and small tea growers o f Assam were united under one association

named All Assam Small Tea Growers Association from 1987 onwards.

32 sm all tea grow ers w ere present in the first m eeting to form this

Association in 1987. These founder members had taken initiatives to popularize

small tea cultivation in Assam. D istrict and Regional committees o f All Assam

Small Tea Grow ers Association were formed in small tea growing areas. The

real growth o f small tea cultivation was observed during 1990s. It is discernible

from the Table - 1.6:

 1 7

TABLE-1 .6
GROWTH OF SMALL TEA CULTTVATIONIN ASSAM
DURING 1993-2003

Y ear N o . O I GROWERS % INCREASE OVER

PREVIOUS YEAR
1993 4778 _

1994 6300 31.85

1995 7442 18.12
1996 9155 23.01
1997 10,018 9.42
1998 15,647 56.19
1999 24,930 59.33
2000 30,607 22.77
2001 38,269 25.03
2002 41,548 8.57
2003 44,261 6.53
Source: All Assam Small Tea Growers Association

Now, there are 88 branches of All Assam Small Tea Growers Association in
different places of Assam. District wise distribution of small tea growers of Assam
is shown in the Tablel.7:
 18

TABLE-1.7
DISTRICT-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF SMALL TEA GROWERS
IN ASSAM
(Year-2004)

SI. Name of No. of Planted Total No. of No. of

No. District Growers area Production Labourers Employees
(hectare) (kgs)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Dibrugarh 11,722 7,872.59 83,153,118 27,978 905
2 Tinsukia 13,612 13,882.62 175,422,700 50,921 1,036
3 Sivasagar 7,047 5,403.60 46,772,866 15,209 618
4 Golaghat 8,450 7,548.00 73,554,000 18,864 924
5 Jorhat 3,320 1,476.60 9,884,748 4,223 65
6 Sonitpur 1,412 839,57 5,311,045 1,126 98
7 Lakhimpur 448 262.96 1,671,950 664 24
8 Nagaon 321 473.26 2,344,200 787 28
9 Karbi-Anlong 380 576.20 4,525,500 112 38
10 Bongaigaon 42 59.22 175,000 115 7
11 Kamrup 25 45.72 359,100 92 3
12 Morigaon 20 44.38 315,400 102 5
13 Kokrajhar 32 118.14 1,532,243 110 6
14 Udalguri 118 510.69 3,629,000 1,007 13
TOTAL 46,949 39,113.55 408,650,870 1,21,310 3,770
Source: All Assam Small Tea Growers Association
 19

As per an estimate, the small tea growers of Assam produce about 18-20

percent oftotal tea produced in Assam.11From the table 1.7 it is discernible that

small tea cultivation is mainly concentrated in five Upper- Assam districts viz.

Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, JorhatandGolaghat.

Concentration of large tea estates in this traditional tea zone may be one

of the reasons for inspiring youths to take up small tea cultivation. People in

these districts are well versed with tea plantation as most of them are bom and

brought up in the greenery of tea leaves.

Now along with traditional areas of tea plantation, small tea cultivation is

spreading to some non-traditional areas of tea-plantation in middle and lower

Assam.

THE PRESENT STUDY - ITS IMPORTANCE:

Tea industry of Assam is one of the oldest industries in India. It is a large

scale industiy and the ownership style is generally privately owned Joint Stock

Company. But cultivation of tea on a small scale, to sell green tea leaf to

processing units is a new idea in Assam. It is the outcome of the entrepreneurial

ability of a group of local youths in the latter part of 1970s. This has paved the

way for livelihood for thousands of people in this State. It is estimated that small

tea cultivation contributes around 18% oftotal production of tea in Assam.

Contribution of small tea cultivation in providing employment to a large

section of people cannot be over emphasized. It has been providing self-

employment opportunities to educated youths and employment to unemployed

ex-tea garden people.

Almost all the States of North East India are affected by the problem of
 20

social unrest and tension particularly among the youths. Economic backwardness

o f the region is one o f the reasons behind this. Small tea cultivation has contributed

in curtailing this problem to some extent.

Tea industry has a very high linkage effect. Establishment o f Bought Leaf

Tea Factories is an example o f forward linkage o f small tea cultivation. There are

about one hundred and seventy-three Bought L eaf Tea Factories in Assam which

purchase around 80% o f die green le af produced by small tea growers o f Assam.

M any Saw mills and Plyw ood factories o f Assam w ere closed following

die Supreme Court verdict dated December 12,1996 imposing b an on cutting o f

trees in the N orth Eastern Region. Some o f these Saw mills and Plywood factories

are converted into tea factories. Such conversion has helped in retaining the

retrenched workers and also providing new employment to the jobless people.

The soil and agro-climatic condition o f Assam in general and Upper-Assam

in particular is very suitable for cultivation o f tea. Therefore, tea cultivation seems

to be the best alternative use o f cultivable land in this region.

It is an eco-friendly cultivation. Except the use o f chemical fertilizers and

pesticides there is no adverse impact on environment from tea cultivation. The

risk o f land salinity or adverse impact on ground w ater level etc. is not there as

requirement o f irrigated w ater in tea plantation o f Assam is very less. Shade trees

planted in tea cultivation partially serves die need o f a forest. Tea Board o f India

is planning to raise the export o f Indian tea from 200 m illion kgs to 275 million

kgs per annum by the year 2007.12As extension o f large tea estates is not possible

owing to shortage o f suitable land, small tea cultivation seems to be the only

alternative to m eet the target.

Thus, the contribution o f tea industry to the economy o f the State is

 21

noteworthy. It provides direct revenue by way o f taxes, provides employment to a

large number o f people both educated and uneducated and because o f high linkage

effects, it helps in the development o f trade and commerce. Today any discussion

on tea industry in Assam is incomplete w ithout a reference to this emerging

entrepreneurship.

In this back drop, the present study on small tea cultivation is undertaken

to look into different aspects o f small tea cultivation viz. problem s, prospects,

commercial, viability, its contribution to States economy etc. as defined in the

objectives o f the study.

CONCEPTUAL FRA M EW O RK :

M eaning o f tea: As per section 3(n) o f the Tea Act 1953 (Amended 1991)

tea means die plant Camellia sinensis (L) 0 K untze as w ell as all varieties o f

product made from the leaves, buds and tender stems o f the plant Camellia sinensis

(L) O Kuntze know n commercially as tea including green tea conforming to the

specifications for tea laid down in the Prevention o f Food Adulteration Act, 1954.

D efinition o f sm all tea cultivation: Generally the term tea plantation

is used to m ean large tea garden spreading over hundreds o f acres o f land w ith a

tea factory. O n the other hand, cultivation o f tea on a small scale for production

and sell o f green le a f to processing units is popularly know n as small tea

cultivation. Till date no standard definition o f small tea cultivation or small tea

grower has been evolved. Different authorities have defined this term differently

It is noteworthy to mention here that the provisions o f the Plantation Labour

Act, 1951 are applicable to tea plantation holdings above 5 hectares.

Tea Board o f India treats holdings up to 10.12 hectares (25 acres) as small
 22

holdings and has special scheme for them.

The Reserve Bank o f India has classified small tea holders as those having

plantation up to 2.02 hectares (5 acres).13

The Government o f Assam has fixed the upper lim it o f land o f a small tea

grower at 4 hectares (30 bigha).14

It is observed from the above definitions that the basis o f defining small

tea cultivation is area under plantation. Tea Board o f India being the principal

authority in matters relating to tea in India, the definition o f small tea grower

given by it is applied for the present study.

Thus for the present purpose, Small tea cultivation w ill m ean a plantation

up to 10.12 hectare (25 acres) and Small Tea G row er w ill m ean the owner o f

such plantation.

M eaning of B ought L e a f Tea F acto ry : The tea factory w hich processes

tea w ith green leaves procured from small tea growers is called B ought L eaf Tea

Factory. The owners o f these factories do not have enough tea plantation o f their

own. As these factories buy green leaves produced by small tea growers, they are

called Bought L eaf Tea Factories .

P roduction o f Sm all Tea C ultivation: Till date, small tea growers o f

Assam do not have there own processing factories. Therefore, production o f small

tea cultivation m eans the green tea leaves plucked from the tea bushes during

harvesting season. One bud w ith two tender leaves is treated as the best quality

green leaf.
 23

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Many books in English, and other Indian languages have been written covering

different aspects o f 170 years old Indian tea industry. B ut small tea cultivation in

Assam, being a recent development, has not found a proper place in these books.

M ention about small tea cultivation o f Assam is made in some books published

during the last decade o f the 20thcentury. Nevertheless, there are a few publications

on small tea cultivation and small tea growers in the local dailies, magazines and

souvenirs o f vernacular language published from Assam. Contents o f some o f

these published literature relevant to this study are briefly review ed below:

BOOKS:

C.R. H arlers book The Culture and M arketing o f Tea (1933) contains

various aspects o f tea. The part-I o f the book consisting o f six chapters discusses

about tea plant, climate, soil, tea culture and chemistry o f tea etc. Part-II o f the

book consisting o f 9 chapters, describes the m ajor tea producing countries in the

world including China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and East Africa. The 3rd

part o f the book discusses marketing, export, and consumption o f tea. Sir Edward

Gaits famous book A History o f Assam contains one chapter on tea industry in

Assam. He describes in detail the various aspects o f the tea industry o f Assam

from its inception up to the year 1923. The H istory o f the Indian Tea Industry

(1967) by Sir Percival Griffiths is a detailed account o f the tea industry o f India

from its initiation. The historical background, production, labour, research

organization and finance, marketing etc. are discussed thoroughly b y the author

in 44 chapters divided into 11 sections. Gautam Kr, Sarkars book nam ed The

World Tea Econom y (1972) discusses past and prospective developm ent in tea
 24

production and consumption, characteristics o f demand and supply, nature o f tea

price movement etc. A n Economic Analysis o f the Indian Tea Industry and Public

Policy by Dr. M ,Halayya, (1972) discusses the growth o f Indian tea industry, its

structure, employment, labour and taxation policy, cost o f production, marketing

and public policy etc. Indian Tea - A strategy for D evelopm ent (1974) b y S.

Manoharan discusses the evolution o f tea economy in India and the world, financial

structures, problems and prospects, marketing, exports etc. A n integrated strategy

for development is suggested in one chapter o f the book. R.C. Awasthis book

Economics o f Tea Industry in India-with special reference to A ssam (1975)

discusses the economic importance o f tea industry in national economy as well

as in the States economy. History, growth and development o f tea industiy and

economic problems, cost o f production etc. are discussed in the book. Planters

Raj to Swaraj: Freedom Struggle and Electoral Politics in Assam 1826-1947

(1977) by Dr. Amalendu Guha analyses the influence o f British Tea Planters during

the period o f 1826 to 1947. The Rules and Acts fram ed b y the British are also

analyzed critically in the book.

Sib R anjanM isras book Tea Industry in India (1984) is a study on different

aspects o f the industry. Here the author describes the historical background and

importance o f the industry, growth rate in area, yield and production o f tea etc.

The Ex-tea Garden Labour Population in Assam (1984) by Dr. Umananda Phukan

analyses the socio-economic conditions o f ex-tea garden labour population living

in Assam on the basis o fasam p leo f 15 ex-tea garden labourer villages o f Dibrugarh

and Sivasagar districts. Tea Gardens o f W est B engal (1987) by Tushar Kanti

Ghosh describes the history o f tea gardens in India w ith special reference to West

Bengal. H istory o f land measurement Rules, Regulations, Acts, Policies o f the

 25

Government towards land utilization etc. are discussed in the book. Revenue

administration o f tea estates, land revenue pattern etc. are also discussed in the

book. Biswa Bandita Sah Silpa (1991) (Universally Praised Tea Industry) and

Sah Silpar Katha Aru Asom(1994) (Story o f Tea Industry and Assam) are two

books authored by Dr. Anjan Baruah in Assamese. These tw o books contain

different aspects o f the tea industry viz. origin, development, importance and

technology. A brief mention has been made about small tea cultivation in Assam

in the second book Chah Khetir Byawaharik Dikh (1993) (Applied Aspects of

Tea Cultivation) a book written by Deka, Baruah and Taparia, three Faculty Members

of Tea Husbandry and Technology Department o f Assam Agricultural University,

Jorhat. The book describes various technical aspects o f small tea cultivation.

Dr. Gangadhar Banarjees book T e a Plantation Industry - Between 1850

and 1992 - Structural Changes (1996) contains one chapter on small tea growers

o f Assam. Evolution o f tea industry, its role in Indian economy, structure,

development, changes in the pattern o f ownership, management and exports etc.

are discussed in other chapters. Moi Chahpaat (1998) (I am Green Tea Leaf)

written by Mr. Prafulla Ch. Baruah in Assamese is an informative book on tea

industry with particular reference to Assam. Chah Kheti (2000) (Tea cultivation)

written by Mr. Anirban Kr. Goswami is a book meant for small tea growers of

Assam. In the first part o f the book technical details o f tea cultivation is thoroughly

discussed. The second part of the book contains some useful information regarding

small tea cultivation in Assam. Jiban Mukti (2000) (Liberation o f Life) is an

Assamese book written by Mr. Soneswar Bora, Ex-Agriculture M inister of

Government o f Assam who was intimately related to the beginning o f small tea

cultivation in Assam. The author describes the role played by him in the initiation
 26

o f small tea cultivation in Assam in this book. K enchapat (2000) (Green Tea

Leaf) written by Dr. Swapon B aruah and Mr. RanaPratapBhuyan, Faculty members

o f Tea Husbandry and Technology Department, A. A.U. is a hand book in Assamese

meant for small tea growers o f Assam.

SEMINAR PAPERS:

A num ber o f seminar papers have been review ed during the course o f the

study. A few o f them are mentioned below:

Small Tea Cultivation in A ssam - Its Sustainability and Export Acceptability

(2004) by Dr. Swapon Baruah, Professor, Departm ent o f Tea H usbandry and

Technology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat. This paper was presented in

the stockholders seminar on tea, in the M inistry o f Commerce, N ew Delhi on

16-17 September, 2004. The growth o f small tea cultivation in Assam, prospects

problems and probable solutions etc. are discussed in this paper.

Study o f the Impact o f Entrepreneurial Dynamics o f Small Tea Growers in

Rural Transformation o f Tripura (2004) by Dr. P.K. Haidar, Professor, Department

o f Commerce, Tripura University published in the abstracts o f Seminar Papers o f

the National seminar organized at Gauhati U niversity by the Departm ent o f

Commerce and Departm ent o f Economics on 27-28 February, 2004. This paper

describes how small tea cultivation is initiated in Tripura w ith active support of

the State Government. Economic viability o f small tea cultivation is also discussed

in the paper. Present crisis in the Tea Industry o f A ssam (2003) is a paper

prepared by the Fact Finding Committee constituted by Purbanchal Nagarik

Samity, Dibrugarh. This paper describes causes o f the present crisis in tea industry

a id probable solutions.
 27

S ta tu s o f S m a ll T e a C u ltiv a tio n i n A s s a m b y D r. S w a p o n B a r u a h , D h r u b a jit

S a i m a a n d M r i d u l D e k a o f A A U w a s p r e s e n t e d i n a N a t i o n a l S e m i n a r o r g a n iz e d

b y N o r t h E a s t F o u n d a t i o n i n G u w a h a t i o n 1 2 - 1 3 N o v e m b e r , 1 9 9 9 . T h e p a p e r

d i s c u s s e s t h e g r o w t h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t o f s m a l l t e a c u l t i v a t i o n i n A s s a m .

A n o t h e r p a p e r p r e s e n t e d i n t h a t S e m i n a r b y D r . J a y a n t a K r . G o g o i,

P r o f e s s o r , D e p a r t m e n t o f E c o n o m ic s , D ib r u g a r h U n iv e r s ity t i tle d B o o m i n I n d ia n

T e a I n d u s t r y a n d S m a ll T e a G r o w e r s o f A s s a m d e s c r i b e s t h e p o s i t i v e a s p e c t s o f

s m a l l t e a c u l t i v a t i o n i n A s s a m .

REPORTS:

A n u m b e r o f r e p o r t s o n s m a ll t e a c u ltiv a tio n w e r e r e v i e w e d f o r t h e p r e s e n t

s tu d y . A f e w o f t h e m a r e m e n t i o n e d b e lo w :

T h e P la n t a t i o n E n q u i r y C o m m is s io n , G o v e r n m e n t o f I n d i a ( 1 9 5 6 ) c a r r ie d

o u t t h e f i r s t o f f i c i a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n o n s m a ll t e a g r o w e r s . T h e c o m m i s s i o n f o u n d

t h a t n e a r l y 4 0 % o f t h e t e a e s t a t e s i n I n d i a w e r e l e s s t h a n 4 0 h e c t a r e s i n s iz e . T h e

s m a ll t e a g r o w e r s p r o d u c e 1 .3 4 % o f to ta l t e a p r o d u c t i o n i n I n d ia . T h e c o m m is s io n

s u g g e s te d s o m e s p e c i a l m e a s u r e s f o r t h e u p l i f t m e n t o f s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s .

T h e A g r i c u l t u r e R e f in a n c e C o r p o r a t i o n ( 1 9 6 4 ) c o n d u c t e d a n e x h a u s tiv e

s t u d y o f t h e s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s o f S o u th e r n I n d ia . I t r e v e a l e d Hurt t h e s m a l l t e a

g r o w e r s r e c o r d e d l o w y i e l d b e c a u s e t h e y f o l l o w o u t d a t e d c u l t i v a t i o n te c h n i q u e s ;

t h e y w e r e n o t o r g a n i z e d a n d h a d b e e n e x p l o i t e d b y t h e B o u g h t L e a f F a c to r ie s .

T h e T e c h n o - E c o n o m ic S u r v e y o f S m a ll T e a G r o w e r s i n A s s a m ( 1 9 9 7 ) b y

t h e T e a B o a r d o f I n d i a r e v e a l e d t h a t l a n d o w n e r s h i p , i n a d e q u a c y o f t e c h n i c a l

k n o w le d g e , p a u c i t y o f p l a n tin g m a te r ia ls a n d o th e r in p u ts , c o n s tr a in t s i n m a r k e tin g

g r e e n le a f , a b s e n c e o f c o - o p e r a tiv e f a c to r ie s a n d t h e l a c k o f f o r m a l c r e d it s tr u c tu r e

e tc . a r e t h e m a j o r p r o b l e m s o f s m a l l t e a g r o w e r s i n A s s a m . O n a n a v e r a g e , t h e
 28

labour employment by the small tea growing sector o f A ssam was estimated at

4.36 per hectare w hich is 2.39 per hectare in case o f large tea estates. The

productivity o f small tea growers estimated at 872 KM TH. (Kilogram made tea

per hectare).

A Public Trust nam ed North East Foundation conducted a sample survey

on small tea cultivation in upper- Assam in m id 1999. The report o f the survey

outlines the problems o f small tea growers and probable solutions to mitigate

them.

MAGAZINE / JOURNAL / SOUVENIR:

Protyoy - a fortnightly Assamese magazine had published articles on

small tea cultivation in A ssam during June, 2000 to October, 2000 (now

discontinued).

So far six biennial conferences o f A ll A ssam Sm all Tea G row ers

Association were held in different places o f upper-Assam. Souvenirs published

on these occasions contain m any articles on different aspects o f small tea

cultivation. PHANAP (1998), CHA-TSING (2000) and CHAH (2005) are three

souvenirs, worthy to be mentioned here.

UNPUBLISHED THESIS/DISSERTATION:

A num ber ofP h. D. research works on tea industry o f Assam have already

been done in the Universities o f Assam. A few o f them have been reviewed for the

present study. M arketing o f Assam Tea w ith Special Reference to Dibrugarh

D istrict (1992) by M r R. N. Borbora and Financial M anagement o f Tea Estates

in Assam (1989) by Mr. N. G. Goswami are tw o Ph.D. theses submitted to

 29

Dibrugarh University. These two studies are confined to large tea estates o f Assam.

N one o f these studies covers small tea cultivation in Assam. G row th and

Development o f Assam Tea Industry; A n Analytical Study, by M r.Pradip Baruah

(2004) is a recent Ph.D. thesis submitted to Gauhati University. The study is mainly

concentrated on the large and m edium tea estates o f Assam. It also highlights

some o f the problem s and prospects o f small tea cultivation in Assam.

Two dissertations for Post-G raduate D egree in A ssam A gricultural

University, Jorhathave been reviewed. Economics o f Production and Processing

o f Small Scale Tea Cultivation in D ibrugarh and G olaghat Districts o f A ssam ,

M.Sc. Dissertation, A. A .U ., Jorhat, (1994) by Ms Tutumoni SaiMa discusses in

b rief the potentialities o f small tea cultivation and the feasibility o f establishing

mini tea factories by the growers. A Study o f Financing the Small Tea Growers in

Golaghat D istrict o f Assam, M.Sc. Dissertation, A .A .U ., Jorhat, (1992) by Mr.

D.K. Bhuyan m ainly discusses the financial aspects o f small tea cultivation in

Assam

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:

N ew spapers published from G uwahati and Jorhat often contain articles

on small tea cultivation in Assam. The subject m atter o f these articles are

problem s and prospects o f sm all tea cultivation, price fluctuations o f green

leaf, social responsibilities o f small tea growers, negative aspects o f small tea

c u ltiv atio n , p ro b a b le so lu tio n s to th e p ro b lem s o f sm all te a grow ers,

entrepreneurship developm ent etc. Some o f the notable contributors to these

articles are Dr. A njan Baruah, G. P. Baruah, Soneswar Bora, Golap Borbora. Dr.

D. J. Bora, Dr. R. Thapa, Dr. P. Bezborah, Dr. S. K. Saikia, Dr. R. K. Choudhury

 30

etc. Articles and editorials published in The Assam Tribune, Amar AsonT.

Dainik A som , Dainik Janam bhum i, Asom B ani etc relating to tea industry

are reviewed.

Moreover, some published materials o f United Planters Association of

Southern India and Krishi Vigyan K endra have been reviewed in an attempt to

know the present status o f small tea growers in South India in general and Nilgins

in particular.

Review o f these literatures reveals that the importance o f tea industry in

general and small tea cultivation in particular is recognized by all. But a thorough

study o f different aspects o f small tea cultivation is yet to be made.

The present study is taken to fill up this gap.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

The study is mainly explanatory in nature. The prim ary objective o f the

study is to identify the entrepreneurial problems and prospects o f small tea

cultivation in Assam with an aim to suggest probable solutions for overall

development o f this component o f tea industry in Assam.

The specific objectives of the study are listed below:

1. To enquire into the reasons behind emergence o f small tea growers in Assam

2. To enquire into certain socio-economic issues related w ith small tea

cultivation.

3. To enquire the impact o f small tea cultivation on the States economy as

well as on the livelihood o f small tea growers o f the State.

4. To examine the commercial viability o f small tea cultivation.

5. To enumerate and analyze the problems associated with small tea cultivation
 31

and to suggest remedial measures.

The following socio-economic issues are examined:

(i) Alternative use o f agricultural land,

(ii) Solution to unemployment problem.

(iii) Closure o f plyw ood industries and resultant problems.

(iv) Impact on the age old composition o f agricultural produce due to conversion

o f land from other crops to tea.

(v) Impact on environment.

COVERAGE - GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND TIME PERIOD:

The State o f Assam is the universe o f the study. Small tea cultivation in

Assam is m ainly concentrated in five districts o f U pper-Assam situated on the

south bank o f river Brahmaputra. These districts are Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar,

Jorhat and Golaghat. As per available data nearly 95% small tea growers o f Assam

belong to these five districts. Therefore, sample is drawn from these five districts.

Small tea cultivation was initiated in Assam in the latter part o f 1970s. The

study covers the period since 1978. B ut time period covered for collection o f

prim ary data is 1999-2004.

HYPOTHESES:

The hypotheses tested in the course o f this study are listed below:

I. The urge for additional income and self-employment are the principal driving

forces behind the emergence o f small tea growers in Assam.

D. Entrepreneurial ability o f the growers has m ade cultivation o f tea on small

scale m ore profitable than other traditional crops grow n in Assam.

 32

EL Cost advantage, reasonable price and good production on virgin soil make

small tea cultivation commercially viable.

IV Small tea cultivation has made it possible to raise the purchasing pow er
o f the cultivators w ith cash generated by sale o f green le af instantaneously.

V There has been a positive impact o f small tea cultivation on the levels o f
living o f the growers.

VI Conversion o f traditional crop grown land into small tea gardens has

created an imbalance in the composition o f agricultural and horticultural

produce in Assam.

METHODOLOGY:

The study is basically explanatory in nature. It is primarily based on sample

survey covering five districts o f Assam. Schedule o f questions has been used to

collect information from the tea growers, members o f representative associations

and owners/management of Bought Leaf Tea Factories. Secondary data have been

collected from various libraries, concerned Government Departments, Tea Boards

office etc. Inform ation collected cover social and economic aspects as well as

data on finance and cost o f production. Collected data have been classified
according to their nature; then processed and analyzed. The scope o f applying

statistical techniques is lim ited owing to descriptive nature o f the study. For

examining commercial viability SWOT analysis and Break Even Analysis have

been carried on.

SAMPLE DESIGN:

Considering time, cost and other factors like spread o f small tea growers,

it is decided to have a sample size o f 200 growers. The sample tea growers are

divided into 4 categories depending on area under plantation. This has been
 33

done on the basis of data collected from a preliminary field survey conducted
in Tinsukia district. The survey reveals the following position of growers so far

as area under plantation is concemmed.

Category Area under plantation P.c. of grower

(i) below 1 ha 46%

(ii) 1.01 ha to 4 ha 45%

(iii) 4 .0 1 h a to 7 h a 6%

(iv) 7.01 ha to 10.12 ha 3%

Total- 100%

According to Small Tea Growers Directory, published by Directorate of

Tea, Government of Assam, the percentage distribution of small tea growers

(district wise) is as follows:

D istrict P.C of growers

Tinsukia 35%

Dibrugarh 25%

Sivasagar 16%

Golaghat 15%

Joihat 4%

Other 12 districts 5%

TOTAL 100%
 34

On the basis o f spread o f small tea growers in different categories as given above

and in the five districts the final sample design is fram ed as under:

SA M PLE DESIGN
(T o ta l Sam ple S iz e : 2 0 0 )
D is tric t T insukia D ib ru g a rh Sivasagar G o la g h at J o rh a t Total
C ategory
I
(Upto 1 ha) 32 25 15 14 4 90

n
(1.01 to 4 ha) 32 25 16 13 4 90

m
(4.01 to 7 ha) 4 3 2 2 2 12

IV
(7.01- 10.12) 2 2 2 1 1 8

Total 70 55 35 30 10 200

LIMITATIONS O F TH E STUDY:

O ut o f 17 districts o f Assam, where tea is produced on a small scale, the

sample for the present study is drawn from 5 districts. Therefore, all the findings

o f this study m ay not be applicable in the remaining 12 districts owing to 1he

influence o f certain local factors.

As the study is based on sample survey, the im pact o f sampling errors on

the findings o f the study cannot be ruled out.

The success o f tea cultivation largely depends on technological factors.

But owing to personal limitations o f the present researcher technical factors could

not be properly highlighted in the study.

 35

References:

1. Tea Plantation Industry by Gangadhar Baneijee, 1996. Page - 1 5

2. Sah Silpar Katha A m Asom - b y Dr. AnjanBaruah, 1994, P a g e -3 6

3. ibid, P a g e - 9

4. Experiences o f a Visit to Sri Lanka by Gangadhar Saikia, CH AH Souvenir,

AASTGA, 2005. Page -23.

5. Tea Industry in India by S.R. Misra, P a g e - 1.

6. Roots o f Assam Tea by Benudhar Sarma. Phanap, Souvenir, AASTGA, 1998.

P a g e ~ l.

7. Tea Plantation Industry by Gangadhar Baneijee, 1996. Page - 1 9

8. Sah Silpar Katha Aru Asom - b y Dr. AnjanBaruah, 1994, P a g e -4 8

9. Official records o f UPASI - KVK,

10. JibonM ukti by Mr. SoneswarBora, P a g e - 16.

11. Tea Industry- an Overview by N aba Kr, Das, Proceedings o f the Seminar on

Future o f Tea Industry in Assam M y , 2002. Page -8.

12. News Item, A som iyaPratidin, 18 April, 2002.

13. Seminar Paper by Mr. N. Ramadurai, UPASI, 1987,

14. Land Problem s o f Small tea grow ers by Mr. D. Bhuyan, .Cha-Tsing,

Souvenir, AASTGA, 2000. Page-1 4 2