COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EXISTING MODELS OF SMALL TEA GROWERS IN TEA VALUE CHAIN IN THE NILGIRIS

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.