One Tea Scheme

The One Tea Scheme, implemented by the Planning, Investment Promotion & Sustainable Development Department, Government of Meghalaya, is designed to support tea farmers in the state whose livelihoods have been affected by declining factory gate prices and shrinking cultivated areas. The initiative introduces a single-season price support mechanism that guarantees every registered grower a minimum price of ₹35 per kilogram of fresh tea leaves for conventional tea gardens and ₹40 per kilogram for organically certified tea gardens. By compensating the difference between the factory’s actual purchase price and the guaranteed minimum price, the scheme prevents farmers from being forced to sell their produce at a loss. This support helps ensure fair price realization, provides economic stability for farmers to reinvest in their plantations, and contributes to the preservation of ecological services and traditional knowledge associated with tea cultivation. In addition, the scheme offers a one-time financial benefit to bought-leaf factories to cover the gap between the price they pay for fresh green leaves from both small and large tea growers and the price at which they can profitably process and sell the manufactured tea.