Guwahati, February 13 Capacity building for small tea growers and leaf buying factories has become essential to meet quality and sustainability expectations and improve productivity, industry experts said.
Improving the quality of green leaves, reducing maximum residue limits (MRL), and adopting regenerative agriculture practices are key to making the plantation sector resilient, they said.
Around 256 small tea growers and management representatives of leaf buying factories (BLF) participated in the second edition of the Tea Next initiative of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) in Assam's Golaghat district, according to a release issued here on Friday.
The aim was to strengthen sustainability, productivity, and regulatory compliance across smallholder tea farms – an increasingly critical segment of India’s tea value chain, it said.
During the programme, Tea Board India's Deputy Director D M Kakoti said they are committed to promoting sustainable tea production practices, focusing on improving green leaf quality, mitigating MRL challenges, and adopting regenerative agriculture practices to ensure a healthier and more resilient tea industry.
"Small tea growers are vital to shaping the future of India's tea industry. Through Tea Next 2.0, our focus is on enabling farmers and leaf buying factories to meet evolving quality, sustainability, and regulatory expectations, while improving productivity and resilience at the farm level," HUL vice president (Beverage) Ishpreet Singh said.
North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) advisor and tea planter Bidyananda Barkakoty said the small tea growers and BLF form the backbone of Assam's tea sector.
"Initiatives like Tea Next 2.0 play a vital role in strengthening awareness around quality standards, compliance requirements, and sustainable practices. We are committed to supporting collaborative efforts that enhance the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of the smallholder tea ecosystem in the North East," he added.
Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation director Rajesh Bhuyan said the programme is designed as a "practical, field-oriented platform to equip smallholders with the knowledge and tools needed to sustain their livelihoods and strengthen the integrity of the tea value chain”.
The event was organised in collaboration with the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) and the Trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation.