Ooty : Seeking to implement their 3-point charter of demands, including fixing minimum support price of Rs.30 per kg of tea, Small Tea Growers in Nilgiris district have decided to observe one day hunger strike on March one.

The growers were demanding for increase in the tea prices for the last 10 to 12 years and the political parties were giving assurance during elections and forgetting the demand, Small Tea Growers Associaion presiden, J B Subraanian told reporters here on Friday.

With nearly 65,000 small growers in the district, all the four associations representing them are jointly organising the strike, he said.

Stating that the price of tea leaves should be increased to Rs.30 per kg from, the present rs.12 to rs.15 and take into account the M S Swaminathan recommendations in this regard, he said.

Other demands are waiving of loans taken by the growers and also the education loans taken by their wards or the growers, Subramanian said.