ILAM, April 10: Suryodaya Municipality has decided to remove the minimum support price for tea, amending the existing regulation that required tea industries to pay farmers at least Rs 40 per kilogram.
The provision was part of the “Quality Tea Production Standards Implementation Procedure–2018”, which also required farmers to harvest tea leaves with at least 40 percent buds.
According to Acting Mayor Durga Kumar Baral, the decision was taken during the third meeting of the 18th municipal assembly after most farmers and tea entrepreneurs demanded a free market system.
Lack of conservation area for rare tea plant
The municipal assembly also passed amendments to seven local laws, including the Appropriation Act 2082, Economic Act 2082, Basic and Secondary Education Act 2076, Health Act 2078, Vehicle and Transport Management Act 2076, Municipal Police Act 2076, and Cooperative Act 2075.
Suryodaya Municipality currently has 63 small and large tea factories operating in the area.
The municipality has also decided to request the federal government to determine a minimum support price for tea. Baral said the local government would focus on tea cultivation, harvesting, and processing, while marketing and price determination should be handled by the federal government.
To address problems in the tea sector, the municipality collected suggestions from farmers and tea entrepreneurs across all 14 wards, including feedback submitted online. It has also decided to establish a tea section within the municipality to deal with sector-related issues.
The assembly further approved several development-related decisions, including repairing roads damaged by last year’s disasters and constructing a modern waste management center worth about Rs 220 million with support from the Swiss government, provincial government, and local government.
