Lok Sabha Question No. 434 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-02
Subject: Tea Development & Promotion Scheme
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Gaurav Gogoi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 434

## ANSWERED ON 02/12/2025

## TEA DEVELOPMENT & PROMOTION SCHEME

## 434. SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of implementation of the Tea Development & Promotion Scheme in  Assam, including funds allocated and utilised in the State during the last five years;
- (b) the number of small tea growers in Assam who have benefitted under the scheme, district and year-wise;
- (c) the key outcomes achieved in Assam as a result of the scheme, particularly in terms of productivity, quality  improvement,  support  to  small  growers  and market development; and
- (d) whether any third-party evaluations, audits or performance assessments have been conducted to measure the scheme's effectiveness  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof along with the key findings of such evaluations?

## ANSWER

वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्यमंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a):  Tea  Board  is  implementing  the  'Tea  Development  &  Promotion  Scheme  (TDPS)' across the country, including in the State of Assam. The scheme inter alia aims to increase the production and productivity of tea, improve quality of tea entering the markets, enhance exports, mobilize small tea growers into forming Self Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organizations (SHGs/FPOs) to enable them to move up the value chain, provide support for setting up of mini tea factories by SHGs/FPOs to make them selfsustainable  and undertake  capacity  building  programs.  Under  the  scheme,  out  of  Tea Board's overall budget, ₹ 152.76 Crore was allocated and ₹ 150.20 Crore was utilized by Tea Board for activities specific to the State of Assam during the period 2021-22 to 202526 (till 31.10.2025).
- (b): The details of number of small growers who have benefited under the scheme, district wise and year wise, are attached as Annexure-I.

(c): Under the Tea Development & Promotion Scheme, activities undertaken in the State of  Assam during the period  2021-22  to 2025-26  (till 31.10.2025)  inter  alia  include  replantation of  tea in 437.42 Ha area; formation of 318 SHGs, 143 FPOs & 26 FPCs; setting up of 31 mini tea factories; conversion of 30.32 Ha area of tea plantations into organic; setting up of 30 farm field schools  and organisation of 1343 capacity building programs. The export of Indian tea, which includes Assam Tea, has also grown from 751.07 million USD in 2021-22 to 923.89 million USD in 2024-25 with a CAGR of 7.15 %.

(d):  Yes. An evaluation study of 'Tea Development & Promotion Scheme (TDPS)' was carried out by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog and its  report  with  key  recommendations submitted in May 2023. The report inter alia mentioned about satisfactory implementation of the Board's plantation schemes as well as its achievements in formation of SHGs/FPOs of small tea growers and helping them to set up tea factories. It also mentioned about the scheme's satisfactory impact in terms of increasing  productivity.  The  key  recommendations  in  the  report  inter  alia  included replantation, scaling up of brand promotion efforts, formation of SHGs/FPOs of small tea growers,  dissemination  of  knowledge  to  farmers  on  Good  Agriculture  Practices  and capacity building of Small Tea Growers. These recommendations were considered while finalizing the TDPS scheme for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26.

## Annexure -I

## Annexure referred to in reply to Part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 434 for answer on 02.12.2025.

|         |               | Numbers of beneficiaries   | Numbers of beneficiaries   | Numbers of beneficiaries   | Numbers of beneficiaries   | Numbers of beneficiaries   |
|---------|---------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|
| Sl. No. | District      | 2021-22                    | 2022-23                    | 2023-2024                  | 2024-25                    | 2025-26 (till 31.10.2025)  |
| 1       | Baksa         | 5                          | 0                          | 55                         | 10                         | 1                          |
| 3       | Biswanath     | 331                        | 397                        | 227                        | 140                        | 482                        |
| 4       | Bongaigaon    | 339                        | 0                          | 550                        | 88                         | 4                          |
| 5       | Cachar        | 473                        | 171                        | 0                          | 720                        | 78                         |
| 6       | Charaideo     | 117                        | 67                         | 153                        | 0                          | 263                        |
| 7       | Dhemaji       | 512                        | 639                        | 162                        | 164                        | 256                        |
| 8       | Dibrugarh     | 4101                       | 4548                       | 614                        | 3052                       | 1504                       |
| 9       | Goalpara      | 118                        | 0                          | 223                        | 0                          | 0                          |
| 10      | Golaghat      | 2863                       | 3245                       | 983                        | 1653                       | 399                        |
| 11      | Jorhat        | 1835                       | 1645                       | 881                        | 1060                       | 348                        |
| 12      | Karbi Anglong | 403                        | 0                          | 75                         | 685                        | 130                        |
| 13      | Kokrajhar     | 147                        | 259                        | 0                          | 18                         | 0                          |
| 14      | Lakhimpur     | 920                        | 927                        | 391                        | 415                        | 736                        |
| 15      | Nagaon        | 1208                       | 1069                       | 250                        | 961                        | 104                        |
| 16      | Sivasagar     | 309                        | 0                          | 129                        | 753                        | 466                        |
| 17      | Sonitpur      | 1144                       | 955                        | 716                        | 478                        | 754                        |
| 18      | Tinsukia      | 5203                       | 2897                       | 1412                       | 5972                       | 1485                       |
| 19      | Udalguri      | 1175                       | 1202                       | 417                        | 533                        | 459                        |
|         | TOTAL         | 21203                      | 18021                      | 7238                       | 16702                      | 7469                       |

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