Growers demand MSP of Rs 33 per kg for green tea leaf

COIMBATORE: Tea growers in The Nilgiris on Thursday urged the Centre to fix a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 33 per kg for green tea leaf. As a mark of protest against low prices for tea leaves, the farmers sent petitions by post to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister MK Stalin.

In a meeting convened by Nakkubetta Badaga Welfare Association (NBWA) along with heads of several other farmers groups, it has been decided to send petitions from around 400 villages, starting from Thursday to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister to press their demand.

Tea is cultivated in around 60,000 acres by more than 65,000 farmers in the hills. If minimum support price (MSP) is not fixed by July 31, then the farmers have also resolved to go on a hunger strike. The farmers claimed that they have been getting a drastically low price of Rs 15 per kg, which is inadequate when compared to its cost of production.

“It costs Rs 22.50 to produce one kg of green tea leaf due to high cost of fertilizer, labour and transportation charges. One of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report was that the MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the average cost of production. However, it still remains to be implemented,” the farmers lamented.

They also insisted on procurement of tea powder in PDS shops for sale. Tea farming is the backbone of the hill’s fragile economy as it provides employment for a majority of people by means of plucking tealeaves, transportation and through its processing firms