New Programme to Help Small Tea Growers Soon

A programme to help and support the tea smallholders, in collaboration with companies, will be launched on 4^th April, 2019 in Kolkata.

The programme, named ‘Trinitea’, has been developed mutually by the Netherlands-based sustainability organisation ‘Solidaridad’ with presence in 52 nations and the Indian Tea Association, Kolkata.

Adviser-Tea, Solidaridad, Mr. G Boriah told BusinessLine that “We will officially launch Trinitea, its website & the logo and provide an orientation to the idea, format & functional methodology of Trinitea to smallholders as well as company representatives”.

Boriah said, “We are holding different panel discussions to highlight the aspects regarding green leaf supply by smallholders & procurement of the same for processing by the companies. There will be curtain rising panel to be addressed by smallholder representatives from Assam, North Bengal and South India that will include representatives from the Nilgiris small grower sector”.

He added that “On the other side of the table will be the companies who buy the green leaf from smallholders. The curtain-riser, hopefully will give the launching platform for partnership in action between suppliers & buyers of green leaf”.  

Boriah further told “Smallholder sector at present accounts for some 47 % of India’s tea output. Companies are now obtaining some 500 million kg (mkg) of green leaf yearly from the smallholders. This means, about 125 mkg of made tea comes from company-owned factories using the green leaf bought from smallholders”.

He said, “We will extend the programme to bought-leaf factories in the next phase”.