Assam Moves Small Tea Growers to Official Farmers’ Registry

Guwahati: Assam has opened its Farmers’ Registry Portal to small tea growers. The move grants thousands of cultivators access to government welfare, subsidized fertilizers, and institutional credit through a single digital hub. This shift aims to bypass intermediaries and bring informal growers into the state's official agricultural database.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pushed the update to recognize tea and plantation land within the registry. He noted the change helps growers get the right amount of fertilizer and better financing. The state government wants to cut the power of middlemen. Sarma wrote on social media: "Today marks a historic day for the lakhs of small tea growers in Assam."

Small growers now produce nearly half of the state's total tea. Despite their output, many previously lacked access to formal schemes and loans. Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika backed the plan, noting that these families built the reputation of Assam Tea over generations. The Tea Board India tracks more than 133,000 such growers across the state.

The tea industry will remain under the Industry Department for oversight. However, this new registry status lets growers pull support from the Agriculture Department as well. The government plans to ensure every eligible grower obtains a digital Farmer ID soon.