Correspondent
RUKSIN, 12 Aug: Small tea growers in the Siang valley are facing hardships due to a significant drop in the price of green tea leaves this year.
The price has dropped to Rs 18-20 per kg this year from Rs 30 to 35 per kg in the previous year.
Bimol Lego, a tea grower from Oyan in East Siang district, said small tea growers are facing great hardship in maintaining their tea gardens as they are not getting the minimum support price this year. Lego attributed this to a decline in tea exports at the Guwahati tea auction market.
Around 120 small tea farmers from East Siang and Lower Siang districts and from Jonai subdivision in Assam’s Dhemaji district supply their tea leaves to tea factories in Dekapam and Dimou in Assam.
