Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday announced that tea and plantation-class land holdings have been included in the state’s Farmers’ Registry Portal, calling it a “historic day” for lakhs of small tea growers who can now access government benefits through a single platform.
The move brings small tea cultivators into Assam’s digital agriculture ecosystem by enabling them to obtain a unique Farmer ID. According to the Chief Minister, inclusion will ensure timely, need-based availability of fertilisers and seamless access to various government welfare schemes.
The registry is also expected to improve access to institutional credit on better terms, reducing growers’ dependence on informal lenders and cutting out middlemen who often restrict access to assistance and financial services. “It is a major leap for the ‘Chai Samuday’, which can now enjoy all government benefits from a single platform,” Sarma said in a post on X.
Small tea cultivation has emerged as one of Assam’s fastest-growing agricultural sectors and contributes significantly to overall tea production. The inclusion is part of the state’s broader push to digitise agricultural records and expand farmer-centric welfare schemes.
The announcement comes months after the state amended land laws to grant ownership rights to tea garden workers. The Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Act, 2025 excluded labour lines from “purposes ancillary to special cultivation” in tea estates, paving the way for the state to resume that land and settle it with verified worker families. Surveys have already been completed in 103 gardens, with work starting in 250 more.
