Asom to protect small tea growers

Guwahati, Mar 5 (UNI) The Asom Government today made it clear that their primary interest would be to protect the 50,000 small tea growers of Asom rather than handful of tea majors.

Intervening a debate on the floor of the Asom Assembly, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said he would not entertain the pressure of the Asom Branch of the Indian Tea Association (ABITA) to discourage the small tea growers.

''I will throw away their memorandum. My government is not dictated by the wishes of the tea majors, but will always back the small tea growers,'' said the Chief Minister.

The tea majors produce more than 90 per cent of the tea output of Asom but the 50,000 small tea growers have ushered in a revolution in upper Asom not only employing about 1.5 lakh people directly but changing the rural economy dramatically over the past decade.

The tea majors and their organisation ABITA have been demanding that the small tea garden plantations's land should not be allotted by the government. The tea major held the small tea gardens responsible for loss of quality in tea production as well as tea leaf theft.

Raising the matter, AGP MLA Padma Hazarika, himself a small tea grower, said that ABITA and tea majors had no right to talk about the small tea growers. '' Without any governmental support there are 50,000 small tea growers who are doing well in Asom. How can these tea majors write to government seeking cancellation of our allotment process''.

However, revenue Minister Dr Bhumidhar Burman informed the House that allotment would be made to the small tea growers so that they could arrange finance from the banks using the land as collateral.

The small tea growers and tea majors are at logger heads as the small tea growers are no longer dependant on the tea majors to buy the green leaves. Already about 12 leaf factories have sprung up in Asom to handle their outputs.

The Chief Minister's stand was welcomed by all and the AGP MLA Padma Hazarika in fact appreciated the Government's bold stand.

The tea majors have been always playing a dominating role with Asom Government as they have been traditionally provided a large chunk of agricultural income tax.

UNI