October loss for hill tea

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, 8 December 2017: Siliguri: The production of Darjeeling Tea halved in October this year compared to the same month in 2016 as the sector couldn't grapple with cascading effect of the 104-day Gorkhaland shutdown that ended at September end.

The data published by the Tea Board of India show plantations in the hills could manufacture .36 million kg of tea in October when the production resumed after the strike.

"Tea production starts declining in October because of changes in weather. But this year, there was a sharp drop of around 50 per cent in the production in October compared to the same month in 2016. The production suffered because maintenance works could not be carried out in plantations and factories remained shut during the strike," said the manager of a garden in the hills.

The planters had said earlier that the shutdown would have a long-term effect on the industry. "It is evident now as the production was 0.72 million kg in October 2016 and came down to 0.36 million kg in the same month in 2017," said the manager.

Talks on wage

The labour department has called a meeting to discuss the demand for minimum wages in the tea sector at Uttarkanya in Siliguri on December 22.