Over 3000 small tea growers protest in Dibrugarh against falling leaf prices

Dibrugarh: More than 3,000 small tea growers took to the streets in Dibrugarh on Monday, demanding urgent govt action to address the steep decline in green tea leaf prices that threatens their livelihoods.The protesters, under the banner of the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association (AASTGA), marched 1.5 km from near Jalan tea estate to the district commissioner’s office, carrying placards and banners and chanting slogans against what they called artificially suppressed prices.The small tea growers said green tea leaf prices have crashed to as low as Rs 15 per kilogram, while production costs average around Rs 25 per kilogram, creating unsustainable losses for small-scale farmers.“We are selling our produce at a loss every single day. The Bought Leaf Factories are keeping prices artificially low by citing oversupply and quality issues, but we know this is deliberate market manipulation. We cannot even pay wages to our workers. Even buying fertilisers and pesticides has become impossible with these prices. The govt must step in to ensure the rights of small tea growers,” AASTGA general secretary Jagat Handique said.The protesters accused Bought Leaf Factories (BLFs) — which process green leaves for growers without their own facilities — of artificially suppressing prices by citing quality issues or surplus supply. They also claimed that BLFs are sourcing leaves from neighbouring states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, further undermining local growers.Additionally, growers alleged that BLFs routinely ignore the Minimum Benchmark Price (MBP) set monthly by the District Green Leaf Price Monitoring Committee based on quality and market conditions. This has left many small growers, who typically cultivate less than two acres of land, struggling to cover basic costs.“The MBP system exists on paper, but in reality, we’re forced to sell at whatever price the factories offer. They hold all the power in these transactions,” Handique added.The association has demanded the MBP be raised to Rs 35 per kilogram, arguing this is the minimum viable price for sustainable operations. Without this adjustment, they warn of impending financial ruin across the sector.The current crisis particularly impacts Assam’s extensive network of small tea growers, defined by the Tea Board as those cultivating up to 25 acres, though most operate on less than two acres. With 125,484 small tea growers managing 117,304 hectares across Assam, this segment contributes nearly 48% of the state's total tea production annually.Following the demonstration, protest leaders submitted a memorandum to District Commissioner Bikram Kairi, outlining their demands and seeking immediate administrative intervention to ensure fair pricing mechanisms.