The persistent efforts of the small tea growers, who were now facing myriad problems, had ushered in a tea revolution in the state and the government will extend all help to them to increase production, he said addressing a small tea grower's convention-cum-workshop at the Tezpur university here.
"You (tea growers) should get involved in the livelihood of the local people and strive for a ecologically balanced world through tea cultivation," he said.
There is monopoly of tea production by big tea companies, but this could be changed by the small tea growers and it was time to promote their products.
There should, however, be good relations between the big and small tea growers, he said and urged the tea companies to to be sympathetic to the small growers.
Technology dissemination for improving field productivity, improvement of awareness levels on green leaf and forming self help groups are the other factors that could improve the plight of the small tea growers," he said.
About 70 per cent of tea in Kenya and 60 per cent in Sri Lanka are produced by small tea growers, but in India their contribution was only 25 per cent.
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Moreover only 5000 out of the total 80,000 small tea growers in Assam are registered with the Tea Board and this trend has to be changed, he said.
Speaking on the occasion Union DONER Minister Paban Sing Ghatowar lauded the role of the small tea growers and assured them help from the Centre.
"For quality, the growers must be aware they should use top grade pesticides," he said. PTI COR SB KK