Issues of Tea Industry in Himachal :

The winding roads in the hill town of Palampur in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra slowly take one to the lush green tea gardens dotted with hundreds of men and women, baskets hanging on their backs, plucking the leaves that are then taken to in house processing units.

Of around 2,300 hectares (approx) under tea cultivation in Himachal, the maximum 1,400 hectares is in Palampur. But over the past 15 years, tea production in Kangra has dwindled from 17-18 lakh kilos a year to just 8-9 lakh kilos now. Left behind are the neglected tea farms, being abandoned by younger generations of the families that owned them since colonial era.

An approximate 850 hectares of area under tea is lying neglected or has been abandoned by owners. There are 5,900 tea growers still active, mostly in Kangra, apart from small pockets in Joginder Nagar and Chamba.

With at least 1.25 lakh hectares under apple cultivation in Himachal, it is said to be Rs 4,000 crore economy for state with at least 1.5 lakh families associated with it. However, the tea industry in Kangra is pegged at Rs 18-20 crore. Apart from growers, a few thousand families of leaf pluckers, daily wagers and other employees in processing units depend on it for livelihood. Also, apple farms is spread across Shimla, Kullu and Mandi whereas tea is limited to Kangra – mainly Palampur.

Issues :

1. The tea growers, both big and small, have little hope of things changing after Lok Sabha polls. Like past many years, they say, they will continue to be neglected and ignored because they are not a ‘votebank’ like apple growers.

2. No subsidies, poor marketing, erratic processing and no separate policy to promote the product, the Kangra tea growers are fighting all alone to keep their farms and livelihood alive. They ask why no efforts have been made to put Kangra tea on world-map like Assam and Darjeeling tea. They also ask why all facilities being extended to apple growers were not being given to them too.

3. Of the four government-owned tea processing plants at Palampur, Bir, Baijnath and Sidhbari, three mostly lie closed and do not procure and process regularly.

4. For instance, apple growers are given packaging, transportation subsidies, anti-hail guns, cold storages and many other facilities. But there is nothing for tea growers. If not to big, at least give it to small growers who own farms as small as 2 hectares. They are fighting it all alone. The tea auction centre is in Kolkata, which is too far and incur expenditure of at least Rs 12 per kilo to send the produce there. There is no government help, not even for warehousing.

Ways to revive :

1. The tea products needs better packaging and marketing for international scope.

2. Currently, state government is giving 50 per cent subsidy on inputs (manures, fertilizers etc) but only to SC/ST growers. Farms are being abandoned by younger generations because growers are not getting prices at par with Darjeeling or Assam tea.

3. Three of four processing plants at Bir, Baijnath and Sidhbari have been leased out to private parties and they are running erratic due to some issues. Landholdings are getting smaller. Tea plants are excellent forests so government needs to promote this cultivation as it also prevents soil erosion. As compared to Assam and Darjeeling.

4.Government needs to step in and help small growers. Kangra tea is also a heritage that government needs to take care of and preserve before it is too late. In fact, it is already too late.

           “Why there is no separate policy to promote Kangra Tea? Why himachal tea behind despite being no less than that of Assam and Darjeeling in quality. Kangra Tea is not on world map because it is not a priority for any government or any politician. Survival has become difficult for small growers. The tea growers also ask why tea division has been shifted from industry to agriculture department.

It is an industry. It is a cash crop and it can bring profits for government and growers both but policies are all wrong. But government have failed to package and market Kangra tea the way it should have been. According to Himachal Pradesh Ceiling of Land Holdings Act, tea estate owners cannot sell inherited farms or use them for any other purpose. As a result, with shrinking profits, younger generations are abandoning them and moving to other businesses. Some even moved courts, got exemptions and sold them off.