Dry weather hits tea plantation

SNS, Siliguri, 19 May 2014: The Terai Indian Planters’ Association (TIPA) today claimed that some tea plantations have been facing a crisis of green leaf for plucking due to the dry spell over the past few days. 

According to TIPA officials, the overall rainfall in the tea growing region is two to three inches short of the required amount as compared to 2013, while the growth of leaves on tea bushes has been affected. 

The present day temperature is hitting the 41 degree mark with extreme humidity. Owing to the lack of sufficient rainfall, the plantations have also been facing a pest menace, the officials said. TIPA secretary Uday Bhanu Das said the tea estate managements have been forced to bank on irrigation just to keep the tea bushes alive, and this has escalated the cost of production. The present situation has reduced the rate of production, Mr Das said. 

TIPA members said that the dry weather conditions have been attributed to the ‘EL Nino’ effect, mainly caused by changes in the sea surface temperature in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Usually an ‘El Nino’ is associated with higher global temperature with excessive heat and lack of water affecting South East Asia including India, TIPA said.