The Assam Congress has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide a special package for the revival of Assam’s tea industry, caught in a crisis due to climate change-induced production losses and the drastic fall in green leaf prices.
In a letter to the Prime Minister on Thursday (September 18, 2025), Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia also reminded him of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) unfulfilled poll promise to increase the wages of tea plantation workers and grant them the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Mr Saikia said the Prime Minister had visited Assam twice in eight months in 2025 and announced projects worth more than ₹19,000 crore while highlighting his association as a ‘chaiwallah’. About 35 lakh people dependent on the tea industry had also expected a comprehensive rejuvenation package, but were left disappointed, he said.
Climate change impact
“The tea industry in Assam, which contributes 55% of India’s total tea production, is experiencing a catastrophic decline with production falling by 7.8%. This sector, providing direct employment to over 1 million workers, is facing severe economic distress as tea leaf prices have collapsed from ₹52 per kg to ₹15 per kg, significantly below the production cost of ₹25-27 per kg,” he wrote.
