GRIT AND GUTS
Karuna Daimari Writes Her Own Success Story in Tea

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE INDIAN TEA INDUSTRY?
As an answer, Karuna Daimari in Assam has spent her lifetime challenging stereotypes with her work as a tea farmer and an entrepreneur. Her journey highlights the importance of training and support for small growers, while she continues to inspire other women to work for success in business.
Karuna Daimari, a small tea farmer from the Udalguri district in Assam, started out as a tea cultivator under the most difficult of circumstances. Her husband had passed away after a farming accident, but Karuna refused to give in to despair.
“I was pregnant when he died. In the initial days, I used to think of getting rid of the tea garden but could not gather myself to abandon something that he had worked upon so hard.”

Karuna was unfamiliar with the workings of the tea industry, and for the first two years she left the business in the hands of the farm caretaker, or the sardar. Then, in 2005, she finally decided to take over the reins of the farm. After becoming the family member responsible for the tea farm, she has since expanded the farm’s size from 42 to 59 bighas (from 14 to 19.5 acres).
Now 43 years old, Karuna has turned herself into a model farmer. Not only does she provide employment that supports 18 women and 7 men, she is a devout adherent of sustainable farming practices.
In order to improve efficiency, she has introduced mechanization onto the farm to aid in the plucking of tea leaves and the pruning of her tea trees. In 2023, Karuna recorded a total crop production of 110,000 kg, up from 39,150 kg in 2007.
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“It has been a life of intense hardship, and often people ask me how I have done it,” says Karuna, who is now an inspiration for many in her village.
At the start of her farm-entrepreneurship journey, Karuna was confronted by her own lack of knowledge about tea cultivation. Her determination combined with an association with the All Bodoland Small Tea Growers Association (ABSTGA), a Solidaridad partner, helped her to overcome many of the challenges she initially faced, and contributed to her subsequent success.
It was with the help of the association that Karuna enrolled in Solidaridad’s tea programme in India. The project was a helpful guide as she learned the intricacies of good tea farming practices – proper pruning, plucking of quality tea levels, fertilizer application based on soil testing, and the use of approved chemicals from the Plant Protection Code.
Scientists and trainers walked her through the entire process as they helped her produce tea in balance with nature while creating an awareness of the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable farming. The programme has also facilitated her access to markets and supply chains by eliminating the need for leaf aggregators, who paid a lower rate compared to that offered by the two local factories to which she now supplies her tea leaves.
“I thank the Solidaridad tea team for introducing me to the sustainable ways of growing my tea. I have gained immensely from all the training and field demonstrations.”
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SOLIDARIDAD'S TEA PROGRAMME IN INDIA
“Solidaridad’s tea programme focuses on the holistic development of small tea growers, the enhancement of green tea leaf quality, and improved market connectivity. Our objective is to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of growers, particularly women, and fortify their businesses to secure sustainable incomes for them,” says Ramanand Tiwari, Assistant General Manager, Solidaridad.
“Karuna Daimari’s story exemplifies the effectiveness of our integrated programme approaches.”
Karuna never fails to attend meetings organized by Solidaridad. The regular training on different scientific methods of cultivating tea, which are approved by the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, have helped her cut down her input costs.
In fact, despite the perpetual low price of green-leaf tea, in 2023 Karuna managed to make an annual profit of 990,000 Indian rupees simply by reducing the input costs for her tea garden. The introduction of machines, the proper maintenance of cultivation schedules and a reduction of chemical expenses has helped her to reduce her cost of production from 11 Indian rupees per kg to 10 Indian rupees per kg.
“I’m still learning a lot from the Solidaridad tea programme. It is helping me become a smart farmer through the adoption of digital farming techniques.”


Every day, Karuna rides her scooter to the tea garden, a nearly 6 km trip from her home that en route even crosses a river. “I learned to ride the two-wheeler so that I can visit my garden every day,” she says.
Karuna’s effort and vision have inspired 19 widows in her village to join a self-help group (SHG) which has been established through a tea programme that supports women by training them in entrepreneurship, and providing help to access a variety of schemes from Tea Board India. Efforts to transform the SHG (where Karuna is the secretary) into a cooperative society are underway; its aim is to help members avail themselves of programmes put forward by the Indian government.
Karuna now aspires to share her knowledge about environmental sustainability and good agricultural practices with her fellow villagers. She has created separate chemical storehouses on her farm. She has also displayed posters on environmental awareness in the garden, so that the farm workers can learn about the positive impact of sustainable farming practices on the environment. Solidaridad’s tea programme has aided her by providing services such as:

Karuna’s story is one of hard work and determination. (that can inspire more women to take the entrepreneurial route.) From a novice tea farmer to a rural entrepreneur, she has broken stereotypes every day for nearly two decades. With equanimity she has raised her two sons and single-handedly she has improved her farmland as part of an unflinching quest for a better life.