GUWAHATI, Assam: Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its Annual report of 2021, has emphasised the importance of small tree growers (STG) in the development of the Tea industry of Assam that has the potential of becoming a $ 75 billion industry by 2025.
According to the data published by ADB, more than 50 per cent of the total production of tea in Assam comes from STGs, and the number of STGs is more than 1 lakh. The report highlights the challenges faced by these STGs, such as increasing competition from new tea producing countries, increased cost of production, decline of prices in the market, labour issues, lack of research and development in the sector, irregular rainfall and climate change, and low storage capacity.
ADB’s report has also suggested the measure to improve the circumstances and boost the trade in tea. The report has prescribed organising these STGs into small producer groups, construction and maintenance of the local roads, building quality testing labs and brand building. Additionally, going organic will not only increase the price of tea but will also facilitate access to the growing market of organic products.