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| Trouble Brewing |
Guwahati, April 3 : The All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association has threatened to launch an agitation if the state government fails to provide land pattas to small tea growers.
Land pattas to the small tea growers would help them get benefits from the Tea Board apart from aid from financial institutions.
Of the 65,000 small tea growers in Assam, only 6,000 have been provided with land pattas.
“The fact that we have not been issued pattas has deprived us of the benefits from the Tea Board as well as help from the financial institutions,” C.R. Khanikor, president of the All Assam Small Tea Growers Association, told reporters here today.
Khanikor said many meetings have been held in this regard but nothing fruitful had been attained at the field level.
The small tea growers contribute 29 per cent of the tea production in the Assam.
Khanikor said although there is widespread acknowledgement of the small tea growers’ role in Assam, the state government has been indifferent towards their demands.
He said in the other states, the small tea growers are supported by the government in many respects.
“If the situation continues like this, the youths will be compelled to take up arms which we do not want in any case. The government is totally apathetic to the demands of the small tea growers,” Khanikor said, adding that it would soon be taking up the path of agitation.
He said while the Centre had sanctioned the Special Purpose Tea Fund for the major tea companies, nothing has been provided to the small tea growers.
“There should be a separate scheme for the small tea growers,” Khanikor said.
He said the state government had laid stress on production of quality tea, but is yet to assist the small tea growers towards that end.
“We are first generation entrepreneurs and hence want all forms of technical help,” said A. Boruah, working president of the association.
The association had also objected to the government’s decision to impose a cess of 20 paisa per kg of green tea leaf directly on the growers.