Implementing quality and traceability initiatives among smallholder tea producers in Southern India.

摘要

Tea production in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India is undergoing considerable change. The fall in global tea prices since 1998 has had devastating impacts in the Nilgiris, where the majority of tea is produced by peasant farmers on landholdings of less than one hectare. Prices paid for smallholder tea have declined by 47% against an average national decline of only 26% since 1998. This paper first discusses the principal reasons for the declining tea prices in this region in the context of changing global demands for quality production, and then reports on the strategies utilized to engage the 60 000 Nilgiri smallholder tea producers in quality initiatives. The paper concludes with an assessment of the extent to which these developments have improved the structural position of smallholders within the tea supply chain..