Jalpaiguri: Demanding a hike in the fair price of raw tea leaves, members of the Small Tea Garden Owners’ Association staged a gherao and protest demonstration at the regional Tea Board office in Jalpaiguri. The agitation highlighted the plight of small growers, many of whom say they are struggling for survival due to unfair pricing. Protesters also carried an effigy symbolising the “death” of small tea farmers.
Bijoygopal Chakraborty, Secretary of the Jalpaiguri District Small Tea Growers’ Association, said: “Earlier, we had submitted a written demand at the Tea Board’s regional office in Siliguri regarding the hike in raw leaf prices. It costs us Rs 20 to produce one kilogram of tea, yet we are forced to sell it at just Rs 14 to Rs 15. If a fair price is not fixed within the next 10 days, small growers across North Bengal will be compelled to launch a larger movement. Growers have also raised questions about the role of various bought-leaf factories.”
District president Rajat Roy Karji added that despite submitting demands to the Tea Board four months ago, no action was taken. He further demanded restrictions on duty-free tea imports, an end to unscientific methods of water deduction in green leaf measurement, fair weight assessment by factories, a ban on poor-quality tea production from tea waste and an official announcement fixing the last plucking date in Bengal as December 31, 2025.
Responding to the agitation, Nipun Barman, Assistant Director of the Tea Board’s Jalpaiguri office, said: “We have received the memorandum from the small tea growers. It will be forwarded to the higher authorities.”