Lab to Land Project

This programme was an initiative started by Tata Tea Limited in 1990, with technical assistance from Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat & Block Extension Officers of different districts. The intention behind launching this initiative was to aid villagers and local communities living adjacent to our tea estates with means of income supplementation. All 25 estates of Amalgamated Plantations Pvt Ltd distribute seeds to beneficiaries belonging to the community at large, from villages surrounding our tea estates. They mostly fall in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and so far, we have reached out to 180 such villages. Since its inception, the Lab to Land initiative has reached out to over 3500 beneficiaries, many of whom have been women selected either individually or through village level women’s self-help groups. High yielding variety of paddy, procured from the National Seed Corporation, has also been disbursed to the community in certain areas where the yield has the potential to go up from a meager 6-8 quintals to 20-30 quintals per bigha. Most beneficiaries were able to generate their entire year’s income within 3 months through our programme. Primarily dependent on agriculture, the farmers in these regions find it difficult to cultivate their fields during winter months. Through the Lab to Land programme seeds of winter vegetables have been distributed to the local communities bordering the estates, along with which they were also given high yielding variety (HYV) poultry. A regular supply of eggs and good yields of winter vegetables has provided them with an additional option for income generation during the winter season.