Behind a cup of tea

Introduction
The tea industry in India has grown alot since 1995 when India became a member of the world trade
organization. This gave India the opportunity to export tea to many different countries in an easier way.
Women are the number one workers at organic and non-organic tea plantations in India. Women constitute
60 to 80 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. The impact of organics’ increased
labour is often seen as positive for male workers but difficult for women who already do much of the
farming and also carry out child-rearing and many domestic labourers. Organic tea farming is sustainable
for all people to the extent that if it was not for this industry, individuals and especially women would do not
have a job. The tea industry is able to create many job opportunities for the local people. Regardless their
unfair salary, they are at least able to somehow sustain themselves. Another thing that increases the
sustainable prosperity of this region is the growth of organic farming in the country. Organic farming has
grown about 25-30 per cent annually. The government is now implementing programs to raise awareness
about this kind of farming among farmers. As organic farming industry expands, the environment will
prosper.
Photographer- Julie McCarthy

Tea is one of the biggest industries in India. In terms of employment, the tea industry employs around 1.26 million people at
tea plantations of which 80% are women. Life on tea estates defines the economic position women face in India.
Photographer: “ Kagemusha”

Kolukkumalai has the highest organic tea plantation in the world, with an elevation of over 8,000 feet. Organic farming is
significantly less damaging for the environment, which contributes to the sustainable prosperity of this region. All the work
done at this plantation is done by hand and by old machines, which generates less pollution.
Photographer- Shireen Bharucha

According to the Indian government, India’s tea exports were estimated at Rs. 23,764 million. Due to India’s membership with
the World Trade Organization, tea exports in the Europe and North America have grown, which has created a bigger
demand.
Photographer- Anna Widén

In the early‐1980s, Indian tea exports accounted for around 40% of the domestic production. Their biggest country of export
is the United Kingdom with 61517 thousand USD in 2009. The UK’s biggest tea provider is Kenya and then followed by India.
Photographer- Benjamin John

At the Kolukkumalai tea estate, all the work that has to be done before exporting the tea, like drying the tea and packaging it,
is done by hand. Workers work 12 hour shifts in order to satisfy the demand.
Photographer:

Even though females are the majority in this work area, there is still inequality in their pay. The average pay for a male farmer
is around $2,70 and for a woman around $1,89. Due to the high demand and the big amount of plantations, the women are
required to work extremely long hours.
Photographer: Frontline Magazine

The women expressed that “Enough is enough”. Their pay for a day of work is half a daily wage labourer in Kerala would get.
The workers union “ Pempilai Orumai” did a striked against the multinational they worked for in 2015.
Photographer- Amirtharaj Stephen

The women wanted the minimum wage raised up to 500 Rs (10,64 CAD) for 12-hours of work, but the planters refuse to
satisfy this demand. They said that they are willing to stop the plantations before paying them that amount of money. Kerala’s
plantation industry faced a crisis like never before.
Photographer- BBCI News UK

This issue remains unsettled. The women continue to pick the tea and carry the bags on their shoulders and the
multinationals carry off the money bags.
Photographer- Benjamin John

Tea drinkers do not realize all the pain, suffering and injustice that goes on in order for them to be able to drink that cup of
tea. Women are mistreated and in some cases the environment is damaged.
Citations
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34513824 Women strike agaisnt a multinational

http://agritrade.iift.ac.in/html/Training/ASEAN%20%E2%80%93%20India%20FTA%20%20Emerging%20Issues%20for%20Trade%20in%20Agricultu
re/Tea.pdf

https://books.google.ca/books?id=HtU3xytiRzQC&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=cardamomo+picking+in+kerala+wages&source=bl&ots=UBWgqpnrJ
U&sig=ZLnZVGvNL8ln5l4Mt3oQVgFv4Y4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiauuiuzcjTAhVNyGMKHUuVB4EQ6AEIQzAF#v=onepage&q=cardamomo%
20picking%20in%20kerala%20wages&f=false Kerala Wages

http://agritrade.iift.ac.in/html/Training/ASEAN%20%E2%80%93%20India%20FTA%20%20Emerging%20Issues%20for%20Trade%20in%20Agricultu
re/Tea.pdf Statistics

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kolukkumalai-tea-estate Highest Organic Tea Plantation

- The document on Organic Farming that Mrs Haughian gave us.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/food/organic-food-market-growing-at-25-30-awareness-still-low-government/articleshow/
49379802.cms Growth of organic farming in India.