Tea Board has lowered the district average price to be paid for green leaf in the Nilgiris in September to ₹11 a kg from ₹11.50 last month.
The board has advised its field officers to ensure that all bought-leaf factories in their jurisdiction pay this price for the green leaf they buy from small growers.
This has been the lowest price since 2016. It is as much as ₹5 less per kg, compared to the price fixed for February, March and April. The price was ₹15 in May, ₹14 in June and ₹12.50 in July.
“At ₹11 a kg, we can hardly make both ends meet. Tea Board says that it has to lower the price payable to us, as the auction average for the teas made with our green leaf has also fallen. But we want the board to take proactive steps to push up the price and not lower the price payable to us,” H Thiagaraj, President, The Nilgiris Small Tea Growers Association, told BusinessLine .