But Earl Gray is still ok though, right?
January 22, 2011
Still playing catch upon all things internet and news, and just came across this on my not-dead-yet delicious account.
And then there’s the wage issue. On the premise that a rising tide floats all boats, Darjeeling’s prestige in the tea market should be building wealth for the area’s residents. Not so much, Kane writes. Despite the high price fetched by Darjeeling in the U.S. — a box of Twinings Darjeeling tea bags fetches $5 for 100 grams, or about $25/pound — workers on the ground get paid very little, than $1.50 per day for their long hours among the tea bushes. And lest you speculate that $1.50 per day amounts to a decent wage in India, Kane adds this:
The majority of tea laborers are women, who pick all the leaves by hand, leaving them little opportunity to pursue other work. Families often remain on a plantation for generations, unable to earn enough money to leave; and children often start work at a young age, forgoing school to help the family make ends meet.
So rather than pull workers out of poverty, Darjeeling’s tea industry generates a kind of permanent indentured-servant class.
The article also mentions the devestation tea plantations are doing to the local enviroment, and, sadly, the fact that “fair trade” doesn’t often mean much:
Unhappily, simply buying tea labeled Fair Trade doesn’t much affect conditions on the ground in Darjeeling, either. According to Kane, “Even those plantations labeled as Fair Trade by the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO) and receive a premium price for their product rarely pass on these profits to laborers.”
The whole thing is worth checking out.
