The Directorate of Horticulture hosted a brainstorming session focused on “Enhancing Market Access & Quality Production for Small Tea Growers in Meghalaya” at the Integrated Agricultural Training Centre in Upper Shillong yesterday.
John Taylor, Marketing Manager HTPC, Nepal, Sourav Bhagawati from Tea Tech, Guwahati, Assam and Parveez Arshad Hussain, Tea Sommelier from Darjeeling shared insights and perspectives on identifying opportunities and challenges, marketing of tea in international markets, micro and mini tea machinery, and specialty tea manufacturing.
Taylor observed that Meghalaya also has the potential to export teas to international markets in the future and urged the authorities to bring small buyers from other countries.
Director of Horticulture D. C. Sohtun emphasised on the importance of enhancing market access and quality production for small tea growers in Meghalaya to benefit the state. She noted that tea in Meghalaya is predominantly grown organically, which adds to its appeal.
Sohtun highlighted that tea cultivation brings numerous benefits to the community, society, environment, and economy, including employment opportunities and tea tourism. She maintained that there are several challenges in the sector, such as high investment and production costs, low labour productivity, and the unorganized nature of the tea industry.
Directorate of Food Processing officer on special duty, M. L. Suiam noted that Meghalaya has seen significant growth over the past three and a half to four decades. He highlighted their efforts to promote the concept of low-volume, high-value products. However, he acknowledged that there are challenges to be addressed, such as limited market access and quality production. Despite challenges, some key brands produced in Meghalaya have gained acceptance in both domestic and international markets, he added.
ADA I/C Tea Development Centre, Umsning Marbakynsai Marbaniang provided an in-depth analysis of the challenges faced by small tea growers in Meghalaya. This address underscored the critical areas needing attention and paved the way for the subsequent discussions.
It may be mentioned that as compared to other states, Meghalaya has only 2768 hectares of tea gardens in 2021. The first tea factory in Meghalaya was set up in 1997 by the name of Arengh Tea Industry. Currently, there are around 12 tea factories both small and big and 70 to 80 per cent of tea produced is (Crush, Tear, Curl) CTC, the rest is specialty tea.
