Tea growers in North Assam’s Dhemaji district have appealed to the administration to relax the lockdown in the small tea gardens in the district.
Dhemaji District Small Tea Growers’ Association president Deben Dutta and secretary Pulakesh Boruah in a statement stated that small tea growers have been severally affected by the lockdown, as they have not been able to conduct plucking activities, which has caused great loss.
The press release said that about 5,000 small tea growers are involved in tea cultivation in Dhemaji district.
“A large number of jobless persons are also engaged as workers. In such a condition, both the small tea growers and workers are facing great problems,” they said.
Stating that this was the plucking season, the press release said that keeping the tea gardens closed at this time will cause huge loss to the small tea growers.
“Unless timely plucking is done, the tea bushes will be damaged,” they added.
The small tea growers also urged the Deputy Commissioner to allow resumption of the two tea factories in Madhupur Tea Estate at Machkhowa in Dhemaji and Ananda Tea Estate in Boginadi in Lakhimpur.