JOIN USGood news is pouring in for the small tea gardeners of Assam. At a time when the small-scale tea growers of the state were struggling for existence, the Tea Board of India (TBI) has finally come to their rescue.
According to TBI sources, a total of Rs 20.58 crore has been allocated for small tea growers in non-traditional areas of the state, to give a new lease of life to the state’s ailing small-scale tea industry.
The scheme, a first of its kind in the country, has been incorporated in the 12th Plan. The total outlay for the TBI in the 12th Plan is Rs 1,425 crore, of which Rs 200 crore is for small growers, sources further added.
Apart from Assam, TBI is also going to extend similar financial support for small-scale tea growers in other states of Northeast India. Separate schemes are being made for the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and even Sikkim, under non-traditional tea growing areas.
At present over 2,00,000 small tea growers cultivate 1,60,000 hectares of land for tea in Northeast India.