Darjeeling tea planters facing 'soft' demand, crop shortage amid dry spell, heat

PTI, 21 April 2023, Kolkata :  Tea planters in Darjeeling are facing a double whammy with a prolonged dry spell along with relatively high temperatures in the hills of West Bengal resulting in a “crop shortage” in the ongoing first flush season, coupled with “soft demand” in view of geo-political tension arising out of the Russia-Ukraine war, stakeholders said.

Due to adverse weather conditions, wilting of tea leaves and pest attacks on bushes are also noticed, planters said. 

Over a period of two decades, it has been seen that there is a 22 percent shortfall in annual rainfall in Darjeeling, and the pattern of precipitation has become “erratic” in nature, Darjeeling Tea Association principal adviser Sandip Mukherjee said.

"We have noticed in the past  few  years  that  the season starts with a drought-like situation. This, may be, is due to global warming and climate change. Tea estates in the hills have limited sources of water as the estates neither have groundwater facilities nor access to river water. 

Adequate and timely rainfall is crucial for the crop. "The adverse weather conditions are resulting in depleting soil moisture. We have seen that the mercury level was hovering around 25 degrees Celsius this season, which is unprecedented. The first flush production is down by 20-25 per cent this season so far," Mukherjee told PTI.

The productivity of garden workers has also been adversely impacted as they have been finding it difficult to accustom themselves to heat conditions, he said. 

Echoing him, Rajesh Kanoria, an IIT graduate and owner of Lopchu Tea Company Ltd., said after a prolonged drought-like situation, some rain was received in March, but there has been “no rain in our garden since April 2 and the current temperature is very high”.

The rains in late March brought some respite, but this has been followed by a very hot and dry spell in April, which is again causing stress to bushes, Indian Tea Exporters’ Association chairman Anshuman Kanoria, who also owns Goomtee Tea Estate in Darjeeling, said. The current temperature in Darjeeling is 3–4 degrees Celsius higher than normal, and that has reduced atmospheric humidity, which contributes to new shoot growth, Tea Research Association secretary and principal officer Joydeep Phukan said. 

“Rains are crucial for the Darjeeling tea harvest. There were isolated rains on April 17, but only enough to moisten the surface soil. We anticipate a 35–40 percent drop in the first season (first and second flush) crop, which is crucial for the whole-year earnings of the Darjeeling tea industry,” Phukan stated.

First and second flushes together account for around 40 percent of the annual tea production in Darjeeling. Tea production in Darjeeling is around seven million kg annually.