GENDER IMPACT OF TRADE REFORMS IN INDIAN PLANTATION SECTOR: An exploratory analysis

Abstract

This paper examines the potential gender impacts of the trade reforms in plantation agriculture in the emerging context of the two prominent FTAs, viz. the Indo-ASEAN and the proposed EU-India FTA. The focus of the analysis is on three major plantation crops, viz., tea, coffee and rubber, which have distinctions in terms of: (a) predominance of female workers in the organised and unorganised plantation sectors (tea and coffee); (b) preponderance of small and marginal producers (coffee, rubber and tea); and (c) geographical or regional concentration of the production sector (tea in Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu and Kerala; coffee in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu; rubber in Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and North Eastern Region). While critically reviewing the trajectories of development of the plantation sector especially since the post-colonial period, the paper also explores the potential implications of the Indo-ASEAN and EU-India FTAs on the external trade performance of the plantation sub-sectors and their implications on livelihoods of the small and marginal producers and women workers. The paper then highlights the policy imperatives for revamping the plantation sub-sectors to be more competitive in the emerging context of FTAs which invariably calls for devising more labour and gender sensitive and socially responsive production and management practices in order to face the challenges of apparent labour shortages as well as the dwindling labour support systems. The gender dimension including status and livelihood of women workers forms integral part of the paper, as employment in the plantation sector historically has shown a definitive trend towards increased participation by women even in the productive activities involving physical exertion, like plucking the tea leaves and coffee beans and rubber tapping. Given the critical roles played by women in the plantation production and processing activities, any serious setbacks in the production sector as caused by India’s increased engagements with FTAs may further worsen the otherwise deprived socio-economic status of women plantation workers in particular.