There has been a steep increase in the sale of tea estates by their respective parental tea companies, which has lead to various problems at the governmental side as well as at the tea workers’ community’s end. The state government should bring a strong act of law that would aid in the regulation of such sales.
It has also been noticed that on various instances certain tea-estate owners have used the government-leased land for personal and commercial usage by placing it as a guarantor for getting loans at the bank’s end. The money is then invested in proliferation of various other businesses. As a result, many of the tea gardens are in a dire situation. Such illegal activities foster with the mutual involvement of officials in the state treasury department, bankers, and the tea estate owners. This illegal state of affairs needs due rectifications, at the easiest.
The land that has been leased for tea cultivation, should be of non-transferable nature.
It has also been observed that most of the tea garden owners have illegally sold their estates – where private schools, hospitals, private establishments, brickyard, etc have mushroomed. The government should evict all such illegal infrastructures and take back the encroached land meant for tea growth.
It is seen that, only a meagre 20% of the total tea produced within Assam is sold through the Public Auction. The larger proportion of 80% is done through private entities. Thus, it is evident that there occurs a lot of commotion while determining the price of tea. At least 75% of the total produce should be sold through the public auction window.
The Bought Leaf Factory (BLF) faces complaints for delivering substandard quality of tea leaves. The matter has already been highlighted in-front of the Tea Board of India by various stakeholders from Assam. The Tea Board should take due diligence and act upon it immediately. The Tea board should exercise its powers by restricting the BLF from expanding and acquiring new estates.
There needs to be a proper display of accountability (a signboard) on part of the tea estate organisation about the amount of money spent upon the development of the estate tea workers’ community and also on the various works that have been completed respectively, in-order to bolster transparency.
Pertaining to the development and re-establishment of the ailing tea gardens, it is sad to mention that the Tea Board of India hasn’t done enough in this regard. There lacks a proper list for the tea gardens that have been beneficiaries of government schemes. The Tea Board should have these things at the public domain, at the earliest. Similarly, the Board should be transparent about the various schemes in relation to the small tea gardens and its associated budgetary allocation.
Apparently, the tea estate owners have time and again talked about the various losses that they have to bear on their end in maintaining and running the tea gardens. But, seldom has there been any accompanying record to testify the tea company’s profits and losses. The tea estate owners should produce a detailed financial statements in-front of the government stating their incomes and expenses. Also, the government should be duly informed about the capital, from its profits, that is to be reinvested within the company.
Assam has about 1000 tea gardens. Similarly, small tea planters range between 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh. Evidently, Assam contributes towards half of all of India’s tea production. Almost 30 lakh people formally or informally are associated with this tea industry of Assam. Thus, in-order to achieve an efficient and effective management within the tea industry, the presence of a dedicated Ministry at both the Centre and the state level, is the need of the hour.