Chai pe charcha heats up poll kettle

In Nagrakata constituency in Bengal's tea-growing Jalpaiguri district candidates of all major parties share a legacy - they are from the tea workers' community, a vote bank no party dares ignore. Far away, in Kerala's tea country at Devikulam and Peermade an independent women's organisation Pempilai Orumai is fielding candidates. Tea is the common thread that binds poll-bound Assam, Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.Between them, they have 8.8 lakh permanent plantation workers.
Sumanta Guha Thakurta, secretary, Indian Tea Association (Dooars), says: “At Nagrakata, TMC's picked Sukra Munda.Fighting him is Congress's Joseph Munda, who the Left is backing.BJP has fielded John Barla - all from the tea community."
Assam's 2.6 lakh tea workers are more politically aware now than ever before. Former general secretary of All Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association Kamakhya Prasad Tasa is Jorhat BJP MP. Another party MP, Rameswar Teli, from Dibrugarh, too hails from the community.
The United Planters' Association of South India says TN has 2.7 lakh workers in the gardens of Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Madurai. As in the other states, workers here are politically ambitious. "This time, several community members are trying for tickets," says AIADMK's MP KR Arjunan. “The community has a strong presence in Coonoor and Gudalur."

Wages of plucking
Low wages bother tea workers across states. Recently, Pempilai Orumai (Women United), forced the Kerala government to raise the daily wage to Rs 301 from Rs 232. The organisation will now fight for Devikulam and Peerumade of Idukki district. “Apart from implementation of the package CM Oommen Chandy promised, we want five cents of land and a house each for workers, a government hospital at Munnar and roads to the estates," says Lisy Sunny, who heads the outfit. Between Idukki, Wayanad and Thrissur, Kerala has 92,000 tea labourers.
Bengal's Jorhat MP Tasa echoes the sentiment. "Daily wages are Rs 150 per day that government increased to Rs 170 but didn't implemented. Planters must provide foodgrain, medical help and water,“ he insists. Tasa says implementation of the Plan tation Act and wages will be key poll issues.
Planters say sliding prices don't allow them to increase wages. “Manpower accounts for 60% of the cost the industry incurs, a wage hike will push plantations into losses,“ says C Vinayaraghavan, chairman, of Kerala's planters association.
Kerala's tea estates now face a double whammy - “High wages and low price realisation," he says. Wages here are high compared to other states but the cost of living is high, which causes discontent. “Kerala tea fetches the lowest price among all Indian tea varieties. If the tea market doesn't look up, plantations here will collapse," he says.
Things in the Assam gardens are just as grim. “Government is trying to raise wages and the industry has taken it to court. If we increase wages, we'll be forced to close down. Such high wages can't be sustained," says Raj Barooah, chairman of Assam's tea planters association.
Killer competition
Planters blame competition from Lankan and African tea for the slumping prices.
“Tea from Malawi, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania is akin to South Indian teas. And they're fast replacing us in markets like Pakistan and Egypt," says N Dharmaraj, president, United Planters' Association of South India. Orthodox Indian tea faces stiff competition from Lanka, which affects markets in Russia, west Asia and North Africa.
Most Indian tea companies are either losing money or barely breaking even, says Dharmaraj.“Before the 2015 wage revision, our production cost in Kerala had touched Rs 105 per kg and after a 30% wage revision, production cost ballooned to Rs 120 ­ Rs 125 per kg. Now, 90% of the estates are struggling," he says.