Tea Pluckers Shine in Unique Competition

Tea plucking, though seemingly simple, requires meticulous expertise. In the serene tea gardens, workers delicately break off tea buds and leaves using practiced hands.
A plucking competition was organized for the first time in the country, with 25 estates from Assam and West Bengal participating. Five participants from each cluster competed against one another. Rajoi Division of Kakojan Tea Estate reached the finals, with Lilima Nayak displaying exceptional skill. She plucked 7.4 kilograms of tea leaves within the given 20 minutes, collecting 208 leaves.
Lilima expressed her joy, stating that she was rewarded one lakh rupees and praised by the manager and supervisor. Her fellow tea picker mentioned that Lilima can pluck 70 kilograms of green tea in 8 hours. The plucking competition aimed to inspire women in the tea garden and make their work more interesting and competitive. The organizers hope for increased participation in the future.
There are two main methods of tea plucking: hand plucking and machine plucking. Hand plucking involves delicate snapping of the tea buds or buds with leaves using the index finger and thumb. Pulling the tea, where tea pluckers grasp the tea shoot and pull it, is the most common technique. Another method involves using both hands for increased efficiency.
Assam alone produces nearly 700 million kilograms of tea each year, contributing significantly to India’s tea production and the state’s economy. The tea industry employs around 1.2 million workers in Assam’s plantations, making it a vital sector.
Re-reported from the article originally published in News18.