Jorhat (Assam): Assam Small Tea Growers Association (STGA) today staged a dharna and blocked the inter-state Jorhat-Mokokchung Road in protest against the fall in the price of green tea leaf. STGA members assembled before the Tea Board Zonal office here and did not allow Board employees to enter alleging step-motherly attitude by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Assam government.
STGA Publicity Secretary Prabitro Mahanta said that Tuesday’s protest was the first in a series of agitation and will continue in a phased manner in the districts where there were more than 30,000 small tea growers.
The small tea growers have played a significant role in solving the problem of unemployment and has a prominent place in the state’s economy but the major tea companies usually take an upper hand by paying a very nominal price which is not acceptable, STGA President, Jorhat unit Rajen Bora said. If the Tea Board does not fix prices of green tea then 75,000 small tea growers will boycott the ensuing Lok Sabha election in 2014 next.
The STGA also flayed DoNER Minister Pawan Singh Ghatowar and former Union Minister Bijoy Krishana Handique, both representing the tea belt areas of the state, for not raising their problems in Parliament.
The blockade and dharna were later lifted after Tea Board officials gave a written assurance that a meeting with representatives of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Tea Board of India would be held on September 13 next.
India’s tea production increased by 16 per cent to 155.06 million kg in July on account of higher output in West Bengal and Assam, says government data. (PTI)