Karbi Women Turn Traditional Tea Craft Into Sustainable Livelihoods in Assam’s Hills

Guwahati: A simple tea leaf is taking on a new meaning for rural women in Karbi Anglong, as Aaranyak organised a one-day hands-on training programme to help nine Karbi women turn locally grown tea into higher-value handmade green tea and orthodox tea - creating a potential source of sustainable, home-based income while keeping traditional knowledge alive.

Women from Chandrasing Rongpi, Barking Engti, Sem Engti and Hemai Lekthe villages, many of whom are engaged in tea cultivation and homestead farming, participated in the training. The programme focused on a practical question: how can communities earn more from the resources they already grow?

Instead of selling freshly plucked leaves as raw produce, the participants learnt how careful processing can transform them into speciality teas with greater market value. The approach requires relatively low investment and can be practised at the household level, making it particularly relevant for women who depend on subsistence farming and seasonal agricultural labour.

Ms Manai Terangpi, an experienced green tea and orthodox tea practitioner from Chandrasing Rongpi village, served as the resource person. The training began at a nearby tea farm, where participants learned how to select and properly pluck leaves for tea processing. They then received practical demonstrations and hands-on instruction in preparing hand-rolled green tea, including boiling, hand rolling and sun drying, followed by the preparation of orthodox tea.

Rebeka Rongpipi of Chandra Sing Rongpi village said, "I have learnt something intriguing in tea processing that will enhance my skills to make better quality green tea and orthodox tea for a better market, rather than simply selling raw tea leaves that have less market value."

Larbeen Teronpi of Aaranyak introduced the participants to PIRBI, a community-based business and food processing unit operating in the village. She also highlighted other value-addition opportunities involving locally available products, including turmeric, ginger powder, tapioca flour and moringa powder. Such processing, she noted, can help rural households generate additional income from resources already available within their communities.

Beyond livelihood generation, the initiative carries a deeper cultural significance. Traditional tea-making knowledge, passed down through generations, can gradually disappear as livelihood patterns change. By helping women practise, refine and potentially market these skills, the training seeks to keep tea-making alive as a living community heritage.

The initiative demonstrates how local resources, traditional knowledge and women's skills can come together to create sustainable livelihood opportunities while keeping communities connected to their land and cultural practices. With ongoing skill improvement and proper market connections, handmade tea from Karbi Anglong could become a genuine local speciality, leading to new business opportunities and economic growth.

The programme was conducted with the support of Team Aaranyak, with active participation from women representing Chandrasing Rongpi, Barking Engti, Sem Engti and Hemai Lekthe villages, said a press release.

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