Tea supply chain; Its impact on garden development: A study on selected tea gardens of Assam, India

Tea is the most popular and cheapest beverage after water. People drink tea irrespective of class and age. India is one of the biggest producers, consumers as well as exporters in the global tea market. The scenario has changed since last few years. Indian tea is losing its position due to high price and poor quality. Moreover, tea is facing tough competition from soft drinks and other beverages like horlicks, bournvita etc. in domestic market. The traditional tea industry was production oriented. Now to meet the competition, a new market orientation is emerging. Either Market creation or Market matching can strengthen the market production linkage. To meet both the approaches quality development is the only way for tea industry and it needs overall development in the estate. Behind each cup of tea, there is a very complex supply chain. The tea supply chain shows the movement of tea from garden to ultimate consumer. A sustainable supply chain management can help to lower cost and increase revenue if effectively implemented. Moreover, this chain has large impact on the development of the garden.

This paper tries to explain how tea supply chain affects in the development of the garden and quality of tea.