Rain brings hope of tea production increase

TT, Alipurduar, April 20: Tea planters in several parts of the Dooars are expecting a 25 per cent increase in production in the coming two months as the region received proper rain in the past few days.

According to tea estate sources, the entire Alipurduar district, and Nagrakata and Malbazar subdivisions have received showers, which give sufficient moisture to the ground and help ward off pest attacks.

While some gardens got eight inches of rain, it was 10 inches in other plantations.

Rupinder Singh Ranawat, the superintendent manager of Dalshingpara Tea Estate, said there was scattered rain in the garden in the last few days.

"The total amount of rain recorded on the estate in the past four days was four inches. It will help tea bushes a lot as plants will be free of pests. There will be sufficient moisture on the ground, which helps fresh leaves sprout. We hope there will be a 25 per cent increase in tea production in May and June because of conducive weather," said Ranawat.

Dalshingpara is in Kalchini block and 50km from Alipurduar.

Sources said production was high in most of the tea gardens in the Dooars this year.

"From January, there was sporadic rain and the drought was not intense. Pests largely kept away from tea plants and moisture content in the soil increased because of the rains," said a planter.

The temperature in the Dooars in the past two months was between 28 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.