A STUDY ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SMALL TEA PLANTATIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ASSAM

Tapan Kakati

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v3.i1.2022.6362

Authors

Tapan Kakati Assistant Professor Department of Economics, Mankachar College, Mankachar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v3.i1.2022.6362

Keywords:

Assam, Small Tea Growers, Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment, Bought-Leaf, Factories, Green-Leaf Prices, Inclusive Finance, Value Chain, Women’s Employment, Climate Risk

Abstract [English]

Entrepreneurship in small tea plantations has reshaped Assam’s rural economy over the past three decades. This paper examines how small tea growers (STGs)—holdings up to 10.12 hectares—mobilize land, labor, and local networks to create self-employment and enterprise opportunities. Using secondary sources up to 2022 (Tea Board of India, Economic Survey of Assam/NEDFi, NABARD district studies, and peer-reviewed work), we analyze sectoral scale, organization, pricing, credit, and capability gaps, situate Assam within national production patterns, and discuss gendered employment effects and climate exposure. Descriptive statistics and value-chain analysis show that (i) STGs nationally contributed roughly half of India’s tea output in 2019; (ii) Assam remained a cornerstone producer with 2018–2021 production ranging
~619–716 million kg; and (iii) entrepreneurial returns hinge on green-leaf price realization, quality compliance, access to finance, and buyer linkages with bought-leaf factories (BLFs). The paper recommends transparent price discovery, collective action via producer companies, inclusive finance aligned to tea husbandry cycles, quality upgrading, and climate-smart field practices to strengthen smallholder entrepreneurship.

References

Tea Board of India. Annual Report 2019–2020. (Small growers’ share 49.24% of national production in 2019–20.)

The Indian Express. “Small tea growers’ produced 685.08 million kg in 2019.” February 3, 2020. (Press summary of Tea Board 2019 output.)

Economic Survey of Assam (various years), compiled via NEDFi NER Databank – Tea Statistics of Assam, 2001–2021 (Assam totals used for 2018–2021).

NABARD. Area Based Scheme: Cultivation of Tea by Small Tea Growers (Golaghat). c. 2017. (Employment per acre, ~50% women’s participation, price uncertainty, credit gaps.)

Hazarika, K. “Small Tea Cultivation in the Process of Self-Employment: A Study on the Indigenous People of Assam (India).” FIRM Journal, 2013. (STG definition, early registration vs. actual numbers.)