Assam small tea growers facing uncertainty as factories to stop ouput over quality norms

With no testing done of green leaves, if made tea is found non-compliant when sent for auction, failed teas will be destroyed with penal action against BLFs

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Small tea growers in Assam, who account for nearly half of the tea grown in this North Eastern state, are staring at uncertainty with the bought leaf tea factories (BLFs) to stop procuring their green leaves from next month over quality compliance regulations.

The Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers Association (ABLTMA) had announced shutting down its factories from June one as it is not possible to produce FSSAI-compliant teas from untested green leaves provided by small growers.

A Tea Board India notification earlier this year made it mandatory for manufacture of only compliant tea by the BLFs.

With no testing done of the green leaves, if the made tea is found non-compliant when sent for mandatory public auction, the failed teas will be destroyed with penal action against the BLFs, as per the notification.

The small-scale planters, on their part, maintained that they are working on cent per cent compliance by all their members, while urging for more time to ensure it and seeking government intervention in the matter.