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India is the largest producer and consumer of tea in the world. The bulk of which is produced in the north-eastern states of Assam and West Bengal, along with the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The tea industry is going through a crisis due to regular fall in tea prices, leading to closures and abandoning of tea estates by the management. This has led to massive unemployment and hardship for the workers. Tea was taken up as a core sector of focus for PiC owing to its position as the second largest employer of a vast and vulnerable labour population, its importance in South Asia and the global interest in CSR issues around this commodity. In keeping with its Mission Goal and strategic objectives, PiC worked with the tea industry to create awareness of their impact on the communities and understand the need for supporting and contributing to sustainable development initiatives; as well as to Demonstrate to the decision makers, the impact that businesses can make on the lives of the disadvantaged and the benefits they can derive by being socially responsible.

A comprehensive project, aimed at improving the livelihoods of small tea growers through responsible business practices has been undertaken from January 2006 onwards. The overall goal is to promote the sustainability of tea trade for small tea growers through improved social and environmental standards and new market opportunities. The project is supported by Oxfam (Novib), Netherlands; and the first phase of the project is up to March 2008.

Present Status :

Consultative workshops with the small tea growers of Nilgiris:

A series of consultative workshops with the Small Tea Growers of Nilgiris was organised in Coonoor between January and February 2006, with the purpose of exploring different possibilities of jointly addressing the crisis in the tea small holdings. The workshops were organized by PiC in collaboration with New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) in the form of Mr. M. Subbu along with around fifty representatives of the small tea producers and headmen of Naduhatti, Kattabettu, Honnarai, Hossatti and Togalatti villages of Kotagiri.

The participants unanimously decided to form a small growers association by the name of United Small Tea Producers Association (USTPA). The objectives of USTPA as agreed were:

To improve the living and working conditions of the small tea producers and workers.
To promote a coherent, collective, coordinated and concerted (4Cs) approach of the small tea producers of Tamil Nadu with regard to various social, economic and environmental issues related to the tea sector.
To engage with various stakeholders in the tea industry on behalf of the small tea producers.
To initiate various agricultural improvement programmes in the small tea producing areas

The association was registered under Tamil Nadu Society Registration Act of 1975 with the number 56/2006 allotted to them.

Consultative Workshop with the Small Tea Growers of West Bengal

In collaboration with Institute of Plantation Agricultural and Rural Workers (IPARW) we had organized a one-day consultative meeting with the small tea growers of West Bengal on the 11th March, 2006. The objective was to discuss the problems faced by small tea growers in getting fairer prices for their green leaf, to understand the social and environmental issues in the tea small holdings; and to explore the possibility of forming a coordination group of West Bengal small tea growers to promote the 4Cs approach with regard to various social, economic and environmental issues related to tea sector.

About 20 participants representing various Small Tea Growers Associations and self-help groups had participated in the consultation. The key small growers associations that participated in the programme were Uttar Banga Kshudra Cha Chasi Welfare Samity (Jalpaiguri), Uttar Banga Kshudra Prantik Cha Chasi Samity (Jalpaiguri), Indian Tea Planters’ Association (Jalpaiguri), United Small Tea Planters Welfare Association (Jalpaiguri), Uttar Dinajpur Small Tea Planters’ Association (Uttar Dinajpur), Uttar Dinajpur Small Tea Growers Welfare Association (Uttar Dinajpur), Daspara Little Planters’ Association (Uttar Dinajpur), Terai Indian Planters’ Association (Darjeeling), Bihar Tea Planters’ Association (Darjeeling). The regional partners in the form of Mr. Samir Roy, head of the Institute of Plantation Agricultural and Rural Workers (IPARW) and resource person, Mr. Swapan Chatterjee (Ex Secretary General of the Indian Tea Association) were also present.

Outcomes

A Coordination Committee of Small Tea Growers of West Bengal was formed and the list of the members was presented to the Project Team.
It was agreed that the functioning of the individual associations would not be affected by forming a coordination committee. The independency of the individual associations would not be compromised at any stage of the execution of the proposed sustainability project.

Forthcoming Activities

We are planning to organise a series of workshops in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu with purpose of promoting the 4Cs approach of small tea producers of India with regard to various social, economic and environmental issues related to tea sector.
To establish a pilot case of NGO-Small holding-Corporate partnership to test some of the agreed social and economic standards, demonstrating responsible business practices, leading to better market opportunities for small holders

Update: The small tea growers of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam came together to form a National Federation of Small Tea Growers of India during a two day workshop organised by Partners in Change in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal on the 7th and 8th of June 2006. Partners in Change’s Delhi office would host the Secretariat of the National Core Committee of the Small Growers’ Federation for the initial period. Shatadru Chattopadhayay was elected as the Coordinator of the National Core Committee for the initial period.

For more information please contact Shatadru Chattopadhayay at shatadruc@picindia.org