SMALLHOLDER TEACULTIVATION FORPOVERTY ALLEVIATION

Abstract

Tetulia Tea Company Limited(TTCL) introduced the concept of " Tea for Poverty Alleviation " in
the year 2000 in Panchagarh, Bangladesh where the only means of income fromland was to sell
stones excavated from the ecologically fragile area but the acidic loamy soil was found suitable
for growing tea. The aim of the smallholder tea growers' project was to directly address the
multiple problems of the poor farmers. The stated objectives of the Project were to create fail-safe
employment opportunity, encourage micro-entrepreneurs, create a sound financial base for
marginal/ poor farmers in the rural areas, optimise commercial utilization of fallow land in an
ecologically sustainable manner, increase the tea production to cope with the fast increasing
domestic consumption and finally to help the national/government programme for poverty
alleviation.
In the TTCL model of “My Land my Garden” the farmers are not labourers. In fact they are
small entrepreneurs: as such they have a sense of belonging - resulting higher productivity. This
short note reports on the birth and growth of this landmark project and examines the economics
of growing tea versus food crop paddy in typical case studies of smallholder tea growers.