Abstract:
The tea value chain is structured along a hierarchical relationship
with the global buyers dictating terms to the producers. An inherently
asymmetric balance of power relation increases the vulnerabilities of
the producers. At the same time the small producers in this value chain
are not merely passive recipients but dynamic actors who are constantly
engaging with the value chain. This study looks at how the major shifts
in the global tea industry have impacted upon the men and women who
constitute the periphery of this value chain and how they in turn have
asserted their space in the value chain.
Through the case of the small tea growers of Nilgiris, this paper
locates small tea growers in the global tea value chain and examines the
relational construct within the tea value chain and explores how the
territorial and regional specificities and institutions mark the contours
of the value chain. This is done through a comparative study of existing
models of small tea growers’ collectives in the Nilgiris. The paper points
at the lack of any governmental arrangement that addresses the concerns
of the STGs, though the proposed Tea Directorate can potentially benefit
the STGs through more focussed implementation of schemes and
increased transperancies.
