It is not a widely known fact, but 25 per cent of the total tea produced in West Bengal and Assam, and other northeastern states is produced by small growers. Their contribution to the total national tea production is 14 per cent. Very few of these small growers are officially registered with the Tea Board. In Assam and West Bengal, a grower with a tea plantation of 10 hectares (ha, 75 bighas) or less is classified as a small grower by the government. In the case of the small growers of the northeast, garden sizes vary widely and their modus operandi also differ. Roughly speaking, there are three categories: those with 5-10 bighas or less