The Small Growers’ Development Directorate (SGDD) of Tea Board, which is to start functioning shortly, must try to create a single brand for small growers’ tea for promotional purposes both within the country and outside, according to the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’ Association (CISTA).

“Low cost, high quality produce of small tea growers have the potentials to dominate not only the domestic market but also the markets in Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq provided all small growers are regrouped into primary producers’ societies and their produce is developed into a single brand”, Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, President of CISTA, has stated in a memorandum to the Tea Board Chairman.

The memorandum identifies several tea growing areas such as North Dinajpur in West Bengal, Kokrajhar in Bodoland and States such as Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, which have concentration of small tea growers capable of producing high quality Orthodox tea . “We will need dedicated workforce”, the memorandum observes.

Also, an advisory cell should be formed under the proposed SGDD, with representations from the small growers, to enable them to express their views on various issues facing them.

The other suggestions, as contained in the memorandum, include introduction of extension programmes covering training for small tea growers, providing advisory services, organising inter-State tours, use of technology for instant communication with Tea Research Association and other such bodies and establishing linkages with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and other financial institutions.

There should also be research cell under SGDD to teach the growers about the latest developments and the best practices to be followed and a business development cell for proper pricing of the produce.

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