• A study on the problems faced by Small Tea Growers (STG) in Wayanad District of Kerala

Abstract

India is the second largest tea producer in the world after China. The tea industry in India was developed in 18th century by Britishers.Tea plantation industry is one of the important industries of our country. It plays a crucial role in generating income and providing large number of job opportunities. India is one among the world’s top tea consuming countries, with 80% of the tea produced in the country consumed by the domestic population. India’s total tea production for the calendar year 2021 was 1329.04million kg and for the financial year 2021-22 was 1344.4 million kg. The northern part of India produces about 83% of the annual tea production and the southern part produces about 17% of the country’s total production. However, to develop the tea industry in India the government of India set up Tea Board of India in the year 1953 and started functioning in 1954. In November 2021, Tea Board of India introduced Tea Development and Promotion Scheme (TDPS) to enhance the productivity and quality of tea production in India and also to help plantation development for small tea growers holding a land owing up to 10.12 hectare. The large numbers of producers in South India are small tea growers. The Wayanad district of Kerala resides in south west part of India and is popular for its agricultural products and tea. The climate of Wayanad district is best suitable for growth of tea. There are large numbers of small tea producers in the district. And the study is to analyze the problems faced by small tea growers of Wayanad district of Kerala.