Small tea growers grapple with problems

From a Correspondent
DEMOW, July 26: In Assam, small tea growers produce 40 per cent green tea leaves. The rate of green tea leaves has decreased recently due to which the small tea growers are facing problems.  In the month of July the rate of green tea leaves was Rs.11 to Rs.13 per kg. Tea company owners buy the green tea leaves from the small tea growers but they do not give the actual price for the green tea leaves, alleged the small tea growers.  The Tea Board has become a white elephant, alleged Ghashyam Buragohain, a small tea grower of Dhemachi. He also alleged that the officers of the Tea Board decide the rate of the green tea leaves in paper only. The small tea growers never get the actual price for the green tea leaves and the Chief Minister has not paid any interest to solve the problem of the small tea growers till date, alleged Pradip Borgohain, another small tea grower.