Invisible chains? Crisis in the tea industry and the ‘unfreedom’ of labour in Assam's tea plantations

Mishra, Deepak Kumar; Sarma, Atul; Upadhyay, Vandana

doi:10.1080/09584935.2010.549557

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The crisis lasted for more than a decade (roughly from mid-1998 to the end of 2008) with effects that continue to disrupt plantation life. The rising costs of production compared to other producers such as Kenya and Sri Lanka, falling prices and over-supply of tea in the world market, and low-quality tea imported from Sri Lanka to India for re-export were cited as major causes for the crisis (Jain, 2008;Mishra et al, 2011). The decrease in the productivity of tea bushes and poor management of plantations exacerbated the crisis.…”

Section: Crisis-ridden Plantations and The New Means Of Subsistencementioning

confidence: 97%

Alienated Enclaves: Economic Crisis and Neo-bondage in a South Indian Plantation Belt

Raj

2013

Forum for Development Studies

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The recent economic crisis in the Indian tea industry has led to the closure of many plantations and to the marginalization of the plantation workers. A critical analysis of the social processes that evolve out of the crisis-ridden plantations reveals otherwise hidden forces that condition continuing marginality of the workers. Accordingly, the major focus of the article is to identify and delineate the social processes that underpin the social reproduction of the plantation workers' alienation in the crisis context. This article suggests that the marginal position of the plantation workforce, both in India and elsewhere, needs to be understood as a phenomenon equally reinforced by the larger social processes of the region as much as by the economic processes specific to the plantation system.

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Section: Crisis-ridden Plantations and The New Means Of Subsistencementioning

confidence: 97%

Alienated Enclaves: Economic Crisis and Neo-bondage in a South Indian Plantation Belt

Raj

2013

Forum for Development Studies

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“…The production of tea in India dates back to the British colonisers who introduced the cultivation of tea in 1833 and established the plantation system which still exists at present times (Mishra et al 2011). Tea is a labour-intensive crop and employs more than one million workers, the majority of which are female (Makita 2012).…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…India is the second largest country in terms of tea production and consumption, but its tea industry faces several sustainability challenges (van der Wal 2008). Reports of labour rights' violations, child labour and gender discrimination are widespread, in addition to environmental problems associated with mono-plantations, such as deforestation, soil degradation and overuse of agrochemicals (Mishra et al 2011;van der Wal 2008). Yields have severely decreased in recent years due to changing rain patterns, which has increased the cost of production and decreased the profitability of tea production (van der Wal 2008).…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Southern sustainability initiatives in agricultural value chains: a question of enhanced inclusiveness? The case of Trustea in India

Bitzer

Marazzi

2020

Agric Hum Values

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Recent studies have shed light on the emergence of Southern sustainability initiatives in commodity-based value chains. These initiatives position themselves as countering the exclusionary nature of many global multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), as critically analysed by previous studies. However, a common theoretical perspective on the inclusiveness of MSIs is still lacking. By drawing on the theory of regimes of engagement, we develop a theoretical framework which helps understanding the overt and subtle practices of including or excluding different stakeholders in MSIs. We apply this framework to ‘Trustea’, an Indian MSI for sustainable tea production, to further investigate the ‘inclusiveness paradigm’ of Southern sustainability initiatives. Our findings highlight the complexity of stakeholder engagement across the different phases of Trustea’s development, from initiation and code development to formal launch and roll-out. We find that different types of engagement can exist in parallel. Justifiable engagement is expressed in the participating organisations’ reference to a shared common goal of Trustea, whereas familiar engagement is linked to the rootedness of the individuals involved in the Indian tea industry. Strategic engagement, in turn, comes to the fore through the strong emphasis on developing an Indian code for sustainable tea production and promoting adoption among tea growers. The importance of reaching this objective has led to the replication of exclusionary patterns also noted for global MSIs, as small-scale producers and other weak actors have been largely excluded from decision-making processes, despite informal efforts aimed at substitution of representation.

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“…The history of tea plantations in Assam is a story of the modern history of Assam itself. The Treaty of Yandaboo of 1826 marked the annexation of Assam by the British East India Company from the erstwhile Ahom kings (Ananthanarayanan 2010;Mishra et al 2011;Vandekerckhove and Suykens 2008). The discovery of the tea plant in Assam in 1828 set in motion a phase of colonisation by the British.…”

Section: Background: Intertwined History Of Tea and Adivasis In Assammentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The discovery of the tea plant in Assam in 1828 set in motion a phase of colonisation by the British. The tea industry in Assam was established with the founding of the Assam Company in 1839 (Chatterjee and Gupta 1981;Mishra et al 2011;Roy 2011). Since then, the industry witnessed continuous expansion and consolidation during the colonial period (Mishra et al 2011).…”

Section: Background: Intertwined History Of Tea and Adivasis In Assammentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradox of indigeneity

Sharma

Khan

2018

Contributions to Indian Sociology

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This article, based on a study conducted in a tea plantation of Upper Assam, documents and analyses the struggle for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the Adivasis in Assam, which is linked to a larger demand for indigeneity and tribal recognition in the state and in the Northeast. It examines the nature of this struggle in recent times through both its contestations of indigeneity and claims upon citizenship by drawing on personal narratives and interviews with activists and workers of Adivasi students’ organisations and tea workers’ unions who have been in the forefront of this struggle.

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Invisible chains? Crisis in the tea industry and the ‘unfreedom’ of labour in Assam's tea plantations

Cited by 14 publications

References 6 publications

Alienated Enclaves: Economic Crisis and Neo-bondage in a South Indian Plantation Belt

Alienated Enclaves: Economic Crisis and Neo-bondage in a South Indian Plantation Belt

Southern sustainability initiatives in agricultural value chains: a question of enhanced inclusiveness? The case of Trustea in India

The paradox of indigeneity

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