Small Tea Growers Advocate for Inclusion in Farmer Welfare Schemes

The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations (CISTA), the apex body of small tea growers, has appealed to the central government to include them in various farmer welfare schemes, highlighting their challenges in pricing and bargaining power. CISTA president Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty wrote a letter to Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, outlining the “unique challenges” faced by the small tea growers (STGs).

Lack of bargaining power

Chakraborty said that unlike larger growers, STGs lack bargaining power and are at the “mercy of multinational tea companies when it comes to pricing”. He said that STGs are the only raw material suppliers for making finished tea, but they do not get a fair share of the value chain. He also said that STGs are not considered as farmers, as they fall under the purview of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, leaving them ineligible for many key agricultural welfare schemes offered by the Agriculture Department.

Request for inclusion in schemes

Chakraborty acknowledged the minister’s recent query about potential schemes beneficial to STGs, and presented a list of 10 such programmes. CISTA requested inclusion in schemes ranging from crop insurance to income support, citing their potential to act as “price shock absorbers” for STGs and the broader production ecosystem. The schemes include the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC), the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).

Farming is not charity

Chakraborty said that farming is not charity, and the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of small tea growers is at stake. He urged the government to liaise with the Agriculture Department and implement these essential schemes for their community. He also suggested that Tea Board India can act as a nodal agency to facilitate the implementation of these schemes. He said that if these schemes are implemented for the STG sector, STGs would be benefited a lot.

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