STiR coffee and tea magazine

36 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 2, 2020 (April / May) India's Tea Industry India's Tea Industry Struggles To Flourish Struggles To Flourish By Aravinda Anantharaman T he tea industry is the one of the largest employers in India, with more than a million people producing over a billion kilos of tea per year, with exports alone valued at close to US$800 million in 2019. Inherited from the British, the tea industry is nearly 200 years old and has been a significant economic asset for independent India. However, 70 years on, it's showing deep cracks; in the last decade, tea gardens have been closing, citing losses from poor yield, aging bush, poor management, low quality, and lack of price realization. The pessimists declare that the writing is on the wall, that unless something is done, the tea industry can't be rescued from its descent into a downward spiral. Shade trees planted on the Craigmore State in Nigilris to promote sustainability. Credit-Preetam Koilpillai Assam valley 167.00 West Bengal 176.00 (Darjeeling, Dooars, Terai) Tamil Nadu 311.83 Kerala 333.56 Himachal Pradesh 210.00 1 USD = approx. INR 70 Source: Tea Statistics 2019, issued by the Tea Board of India Daily wages are fixed by the state government; as of April 1, 2019, rates were as follows: INR Tea estates in India: 1,569 cultivating 420,671 hectares Small tea growers in India: 210,225 cultivating 215,886 hectares People employed in the tea industry: 1,165,815 of which 679,047 are women and 486,768 are men Volume of tea produced in 2018-19: 1,350 million Source: Tea Statistics 2019, issued by the Tea Board of India Traditionally, tea estates have grown and produced tea in owned factories. They are the organized sector, or regulated tea gardens (RTG), as they come under the purview of the Plantation Labor Act (1951). Because tea estates are located in remote areas, and employ a significant workforce, living facilities are necessitated on the estate. The PLA (1951) mandates that the employer provide housing, medical care, a school, daycare center, etc., in addition to wages and other benefits. Gardens have a roster of perma- nent workers and hire temporary workers during the busy season. But labor is the most contentious of issues in the tea industry. RTGs have been fac- ing the twin problem of labor shortage and demand for higher wages. The tea estates are no longer an attractive employment option. Says Raju Lama, who runs Darjeeling Tea Leaves, a small enterprise to promote Darjeeling and its tea, "Today, you don't find the younger generation working or willing to work as tea pluckers anymore. Current wages are way too low, and people with education and exposure outside their homes seek a good quality of life, respect at work, and are very conscious about self-esteem."

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