March rain brings hope to small tea growers in North Dinajpur district

MP | 21 Mar 2023 | Raiganj: The continuous rain for the last three days has emerged as a ray of hope for the small tea growers of North Dinajpur. 

They are expecting a good yield this time. Large parts of the Islampur sub-division in the North Dinajpur District have many small tea farms. Many of the former traditional farmers have converted to tea growing in Islampur, Chopra and Goalpukur blocks. 

They contribute a large portion to the tea industry of West Bengal. Many big tea companies buy tea leaves from these small tea growers and process them in their factories. Thus, these small gardens play a vital role in the economy of the subdivision. However, the small tea growers of this region have been struggling this year as there has been no rainfall in the last few months. Though they were managing to some extent with mechanical irrigation systems, they feared low production. 

The rainfall in the latter half of March has turned the situation around to their relief. Sanjib Roy, a small tea grower having 1.5 acres of cultivation stated that the rain of last Monday not only saved the cost of artificial irrigation; it will save the tea leaves from insects too and thus ensure a good yield. 

“Monday’s rain was an event of joy and hope for all small tea growers of the area,” added Roy. In India, there are more than 3 lakh small tea growers contributing to 55 per cent of the total production of the country. 

However, the total area under cultivation by the small tea growers is less than one hectare. In West Bengal, there are 55,000 small t ea growers. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/march-rain-brings-hope-to-small-tea-growers-in-north-dinajpur-district-512440