About 17% of the workers of assam are engaged in the tea industry. First tea garden of assam established by maniram dewan in. The investigation, conducted jointly with radio 4s file on four in india. The world bank groups international finance corporation ifc owns 16% of these plantations. Political, economy of tea plantations in colonial assam 2014 by rana p. Chapter historical background of tea plantation in assam and. A case study from subhimalayan regions of west bengal, india article pdf available. But the living conditions of many teaplantation workers in india the worlds second largest producer of the drink are not given nearly as much importance, an investigation by the bbc has revealed. Educational vulnerability and risk factors of tea garden. Assam were cleared up and tea plantation was seriously considered by the company. The gi tag helps to boost the growth in these regions. Small tea plantation and its impact on the rural landscape of.
Commercial planting of tea began around 1840, when tea seeds were imported from china and planted on the plains of northeast india in assam and darjeeling. As a result of such effort, first consignment of assam tea was sent to london in 1838. The assam tea plantations provident fund and pension fund. The assam industrial employment standing orders rules, 1947 495 the assam industrial employment standing orders rules, 1947 dated the 29th september, 1947 no. Productivity and labour standards in tea plantation sector in india 5 growing administrative districts. Since then the number of tea gardens have increased by leaps and bounds. A historical background of tea in assam gadapani sarma. About 78% of the countrys total area under plantation is. Tea plantations were confined to upper assam only but later on, new areas such as lower assam and darjeeling were also opened up to tea cultivation, there were 35 tea plantations in assam alone. The tea plantations of assam, which constitute the countrys 53. These gardens are mosdy found in the districts of dibrugarh, jorhat, magaon, sibsagar, sonitpur, and darrang. The picture, however, is not completely rosy as the tea plantation, tea.
Pdf small tea plantation and its impact on the rural landscape. Addressing the human cost of assam tea oxfam digital repository. Globalization and plantation workers in northeast india is a piece of research study regarding the impacts of globalization among the workers. A case study from subhimalayan regions of west bengal, india article pdf available october 2016 with 3,859 reads how we measure reads. Low wages, poor housing and lack of avenues for social mobility have been a recurring theme since the inception of the plantation complex in north east. Though assam plantation generally produces black tea, the region also produces smaller quantities of green and white teas. Welcome to assam tea plantations provident fund and.
The sector is structured by private tea plantations which have pursued the working. This fosters trust and builds customer relationship. Distribution of value from production in assam to export from india. Later on, tea cultivation started in nilgiri hills of southern india, tarai along the foothills of the himalayas and in some area of himachal pradesh. The disappearing children of assam asia al jazeera. In exercise of the powers conferred by subsection 1 of section 15 of the industrial employment standing orders act, 1916 xx of 1946, the governor of assam. It helps them build distinct identities whether being tea from assam or darjeeling, as the case may be. L international trade in tea is among the largest in value among tropical and subtropical crops. Socioeconomic status of the tea garden women workers. Tea tribes are multi ethnic groups of tea garden workers in assam. Lazy natives, coolie labour, and the assam tea industry. The prominence of imported coolie workers from central and south india has obscured the signi. Socioeconomic condition of tea garden workers of west.
Tea plantations in india are mainly located in rural hills and backward areas of northeastern and southern states. The tea industry of assam is more than 180 years old by now. It is a term used to denote those active tea garden workers and their dependents who reside in labour quarters built inside 800 tea estates spread across assam while ex tea tribes to those who were once active as tea workers but now have left the job and labour quarters for other employment opportunities after. Workers on tea plantations in the assam region of india are systematically. Tea was originally a chinese export first traded by the east india company in 1685 from canton up river from macao and the trade was in 1750 a more valuable revenue stream than all of india. However, the oxfamcommissioned research shows that a living wage could be within reach for workers on assam tea plantations. There are more than 850 tea estates and more than 2500 tea gardens in assam that covers thousands of acres of lan d. Hence labour is the heart and soul of tea plantation. Harvesting hunger plantation workers and the right to food.
Exploitation of teaplantation workers in colonial bengal. Home the assam tea plantations provident fund and pension fund deposit linked insurance fund schemeamendment act, 2019 search with title search with file name. The government of assam gave it a concrete shape in the assam plantation labour rules, 1956. Tea farming information detailed guide agri farming. For every kilogram of packaged assam tea that is sold, tea brands and. In assam, tea is grown both in the brahmaputra and barak valley.
Major tea growing areas of the country are concentrated in assam, west bengal, tamil nadu and kerala. Initial effort of planting chinese varieties in assam soil did not succeed. Project report study of labour condition in tea gardens. In these 950 tea estates, seven lakhs ninety five thousands eight hundred fifty. The working class in the tea plantations of assam is perhaps the most oppressed in the organised sector of the economy. Harvesting hunger plantation workers and the right to. Overview accountability counsel and local civil society organizations support tea workers and their families in assam, india, in their efforts to improve and protect their health, wellbeing, and human rights on tea plantations. These are jalpaiguri and darjeeling in west bengal, nilgiris and coimbatore in tamil nadu and idduki and wynad in kerala. Thus it is the most important beverage crop of india. The impacts have been analysed thoroughly in regard to the case of darjeeling tea industry along with the industry in relation to other regions of west bengal and assam. The state of assam is the worlds largest tea growing region, lying on either side of the brahmaputra river, and bordering bangladesh and burma myanmar. Shocking conditions for workers on indias tea plantations. The government of india imposed this responsibility on them through the plantation labour act of 1951 pla.
How can plantation owners in assam or darjeeling use. Indian tea garden workers pluck leaves assam youtube. Maniram was induced to accept the dewanship of the asam company, a tea concern started by the. By late 1830s, a market for the assam tea began to be evaluated in london and the east india companys positive feedback led to the inauguration of a lengthy process of withdrawal of agricultural lands and forests to allow significant shares of this province to be converted to tea plantations. In the case of the tea plantations, the responsibility for welfare measures has been given to their management. The first commercial batch of tea ever produced outside of china came from assam. The objective of the study is to understand what the key challenges facing assam tea plantations are and to provide recommendations to market actors on possible solutions. Till now as per the source of assam tea welfare board, there are 950 number of tea estates in assam. The success of the first sample led to the establishment of the assam company in.
Later in 1844 this garden was sold to assam tea company which had been formed in 1839. Bruce sent first sample of tea leaf to the first commissioner of. In assam, there are two main areas of tea production a the brahmaputra valley and b the surma valley. International journal of advance study and research work 25815997 volume 1issue 1april 2018 tea garden labors of assam.
Another reason for the endemic poverty is the failure of the government to strictly implement the plantations labour act of 1951 in assam. Behal is a book on the history of tea plantations in assam during the colonial period. Role of tea industry in rural development of assam. Productivity and labour standards in tea plantation sector. Project report study of labour condition in tea gardens of new jalpaiguri group no. Procedure for the plantation owners to use the gi tag associated with the darjeeling and assam tea darjeeling. Interest was reignited, the first export of tea from india was 12 tea chests in 1838.
The tea plantations in the northeast indian state of assam, launched by the. The success of the first sample led to the establishment of the assam company in 1839 and within a short course of time. Behal examines the links between the colonial state and private british capital in fostering tea plantation in assam for growing world market. Sociocultural life of the tea plantation workers in assam. Highlighting the contributions of tea in the economy of assam, a scholar con. Women tea workers with conical straw works at tea plantation at heritage north east tea garden in jorhat, assam. Short essay on tea plantation in assam worlds largest. Assam tea is manufactured specifically from the plant camellia sinensis var. Pdf the tea plantations in the northeast indian state of assam, launched by the british colonial regime in the midnineteenth century, had. In west bengal the two contiguous districts, jalpaiguri.
Dont you just love the colours, the hats and the sound of the leaves being plucked. It contains theine and when added to boiling water along with sugar and milk, it gives a very cheap and stimulating drink. The economic significance of tea plantations in india. Growth and development of tea industry in assam ijser. Short essay on tea plantation in assam article shared by the hundreds of lush green tea gardens nestling in the himalayan foothills of assam have not only added charm to the states natural beauty but also forms the backbone of its economy. Further, as shortterm profit gain objectives became dominant it led to a. The other areas where tea is grown to a small extent are karnataka, tripura, himachal pradesh, uttaranchal, arunachal pradesh. Socio economic development of plantation workers in north.
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