Sneha Deka

The lush green scenery of tea gardens throughout Assam is has not changed drastically, the dew still settles on the trees early each morning, people are still walking between narrow paths between rows of trees, and everything is still the same as it has been for many years; however, when you look beneath the surface of what you see, it shows a change that has been happening over time. Tea gardens have slowly but surely been abandonned! The new crops being planted in their place are areca nut...

Recently, an article in the Times of India (September 2025) highlighted the increasing frustration of Assam’s small tea growers, who feel they are “price takers in their own land.” Although small tea growers, of whom most cultivate less than 10 hectares, account for nearly 52% of the total tea produced in Assam, they remain vulnerable to pricing from a handful of Bought Leaf Factories (BLFs). The article depicts small growers selling their fresh leaves for as low as ₹10–₹15 per kilogram. ...

As the sun rises in Kericho, Kenya, the tea fields sparkle like emeralds under the growing sun. Almost half a world apart in Assam, the...