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Nilgiri Tea Growers Seek Clarity on Delayed September Price
Small tea growers in the Nilgiris sell fresh tea leaves to factories.
Each month, the Tea Board usually announces an average price that helps growers understand what factories should pay.
The September price has not been announced.
This has left growers unsure about how much they should receive.
Some growers wonder if prices might be based more on how much each factory earns from selling made tea.
KSCT founder S. Padmanaban says growers need reliable information to judge whether an offer is fair.
He asked the Tea Board to explain any change to the pricing method.
He also said the Board should explain if something else caused the delay.
The Tea Board of India has not announced the September average procurement price for green tea leaf in the Nilgiris.
The monthly figure is traditionally announced by the Board's regional office in Coonoor.
Small tea growers use the figure as a benchmark for prices paid by tea factories.
Growers are speculating that the pricing method may change to reflect individual factories’ made-tea sale realisations.
KSCT founder S. Padmanaban urged the Tea Board to explain any methodology change or the reason for the delay.
- Who
- Small tea growers in the Nilgiris and the Knowledge Sharing and Caring Trust (KSCT); KSCT founder S. Padmanaban raised the concern.
- What
- The Tea Board of India has not announced the September average procurement price for green tea leaf.
- Where
- The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu; the Tea Board's regional office is in Coonoor.
- When
- The September price announcement is pending; the price is traditionally announced at the end of each month.
- Why
- The price serves as a benchmark for what tea factories pay growers, and its absence has caused uncertainty about prices and the pricing method.
Key facts
- Missing announcement
- September average procurement price for green tea leaf (GTL)
- Announcing body
- Tea Board of India
- Regional office
- Coonoor
- Affected growers
- Small tea growers (STGs) in the Nilgiris
- Usual timing
- The average price is traditionally announced at the end of each month.
- Potential pricing change
- Growers are speculating that prices could be more closely linked to individual bought-leaf factories’ made-tea sale realisations.
- Request
- Explain any change in pricing methodology or the reason for the delay, and provide growers with relevant pricing information.
Quotes
S. Padmanaban
Founder of the Knowledge Sharing and Caring Trust (KSCT).
“A small grower cannot be expected to determine whether the price being offered is fair without access to the information on which that price is based.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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