CISTA urges Agriculture Ministry to recognise small tea growers as farmers, calls for FPC inclusion

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The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’ Associations (CISTA) on Monday urged the Union Agriculture Ministry to recognise small tea growers as farmers and include them in farmer producer companies (FPCs).

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the collectivisation movement in a massive way by introducing the formation of the Farmer Producer Company (FPC) for the traditional agriculture farmers. Formation of FPC is a unique and sustainable way to enhance the income of the farmers in a bigger way which is a flagship scheme of the Farmers Welfare Department. Union Farmers Welfare Department promotes this FPC revolution in a bigger way by helping with a lot of incentives,” CISTA president Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty wrote in a letter to Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

“Already we have seen the positive, effective and prominent economic growth of the successful running of FPCs,” Chakraborty said, adding small tea growers (STGs) are like traditional agriculture farmers, but unfortunately, to date STGs of India have not received any facilities of PM farmer welfare schemes like Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Welfare facilities denied

According to the CISTA president, as the tea industry is under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, STGs are deprived of these welfare facilities.

Currently, more than 2.5 lakh small tea farmers/growers in India are cultivating tea bushes and producing green tea leaves as raw materials, which are processed in tea factories. STGs are now producing around 53 per cent of the country’s total tea production. Their average land area is less than one hectare.

“We came to know that the Union Agriculture Ministry will take bigger steps to boost the revolution of FPC in near future. Our request to the Union Agriculture Ministry is to please recognise STGs as agriculture farmers and inclusion of STGs in the process of formation of FPC,” Chakraborty said in the letter.