Five weather stations to benefit small tea growers inaugurated in the Nilgiris

Five weather stations were established in the villages of Thummanatti and Kadakodu in the Nilgiris, by the Tea Board India, to help small tea growers access information on local weather conditions to help them manage their tea yields, quality as well as disease and pest. 

The initiative is part of the implementation of the technological intervention scheme of the Tea Board India, which had selected two Farmers’ Producers Organisations (FPOs) as part of the project. 

“The initiative of the Board was implemented jointly by the Tea Board India, Agri Foretell and Havukal Tea Factory during March 2026,” a press release from the Tea Board stated. 

A review meeting regarding the initiative at Thummanatti village, under the leadership C. Murugan, Deputy Chairman of Tea Board India, was held recently. During the meeting, beneficiaries of the project, including members of the Mupathu Mukkodi Devathi Devargal Small Tea Growers’ Association and Hari Om Small Tea Growers’ Association, shared their experiences and practical difficulties encountered in the implementation of the project. Mr. Murugan also visited the Automatic Tea Weather Station established in one of the small tea growers’ fields, the press release added.

Mr. Murugan said that small tea growers need not remain only as suppliers of green tea leaves and encouraged farmers to scale up the value chain and set up a mini tea factory and produce their own tea. He assured them that growers will be provided with Tea Board of India’s ‘Tea Mark’ certification and the tea can be marketed directly through the Tea Board’s authorised online commercial platform, teamarketplace.in.

The review meeting was attended by Bharani Kumaar, Executive Director, Tea Board India, South Zonal Office, Coonoor; S. Soundararajan, Director (Tea Development), Tea Board India, Kolkata, as well as other officials of the Board, representatives of Havukal Tea Factory, Agri Foretell Group, and the small tea growers who stand to benefit from the scheme.