Small Tea Growers of Assam: A Socio-economic Perspective

Abstract

Tea production in India has seen rapid expansion over the years with its inception in the colonial period. The tea industry of Assam has seen a paradigm change with the rise of small tea farmers, which has grown in importance over the years. Currently, small tea farmers are found in 27 districts of Assam, but the majority of small tea growers are located in the five districts viz. Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Sivsagar, and Golaghat. Aim: The current study seeks to analyse the socioeconomic makeup of the small tea growers in the area. Methodology: The study utilized a multi-staged random sampling technique. Primary and secondary sources of data were utilized in the research.197 growers from the districts were randomly chosen to constitute the sampling unit. Results: The age wise distribution of the small-tea growers indicated distinct predominance of middle-aged individuals. Participation of young growers was observed to be limited. The family size of small-tea growers showed the dominance of smaller families across all categories of the growers suggesting that smaller family units were a common characteristic among the small-tea growers. Illiteracy rates remained minimal across all groups highlighting the growing penetration of basic education among small growers. The occupational patterns of the small growers revealed that tea cultivation was the predominant activity across all categories- marginal, small-scale and medium growers. The analysis of annual income of respondents revealed that among marginal growers, majority the fall into the middle-income bracket (₹3–6 lakhs annually). In contrast, small-scale grower category exhibited a significant concentration in the high-income group.