MP Sounds Alarm in Parliament on Deepening Crisis in Tea Sector

KalimNews | Kalimpong | 10 December 2025 : In a powerful intervention during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha today, Darjeeling MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla raised the alarm over the escalating crisis in India’s tea sector, with a particular focus on the Darjeeling and North-Eastern regions. The MP emphasised that urgent corrective action is needed, warning that the livelihoods of millions of workers and the very essence of the country’s tea heritage are under threat.

Mr. Shringla pointed out that the tea industry directly employs over one million workers and supports nearly six million people across the country. Despite its significance, the sector is currently grappling with a multitude of challenges, including climate stress, shrinking forest cover, acute labour shortages, price instability, and a surge in low-quality tea imports.

Particularly alarming, Shringla noted, was the substantial rise in imports from African nations and Nepal. Imports from these regions have surged by 45% in the first half of 2025, further undermining market stability and damaging the global reputation of Darjeeling tea. He also highlighted the alarming fall in Darjeeling’s tea production, which has plunged from 14 million kg in the 1970s to just 5.51 million kg in 2024. This decline, he said, is indicative of a deep-rooted structural crisis within the sector.

In his remarks, Shringla pointed to several critical issues, including the prevalence of unviable estates, unresolved land-lease disputes, and the persistent misbranding of imported teas as Darjeeling tea in both domestic and international markets. These factors have contributed significantly to the erosion of the region's economic stability, affecting the livelihoods of tea-garden workers and damaging the industry’s hard-earned global reputation.

Calling for immediate government intervention, Shringla urged the Commerce Ministry to impose stricter controls on the influx of low-quality imports. He also called for enhanced protections for premium GI-tagged teas from Darjeeling, Assam, and the Nilgiris, which hold immense cultural and economic value. The MP further stressed the need to scale up community-based livelihood diversification initiatives already being implemented in Darjeeling, suggesting that these models could offer a long-term solution to the sector’s challenges and help build resilience for tea-garden communities.

Recalling the G20 Summit in 2023, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had presented Darjeeling tea to world leaders, Shringla remarked that the beverage is not just a product but a symbol of global heritage and national pride. "Darjeeling tea is not just a product; it is a legacy nurtured over generations. To protect it is to protect the people who sustain it," he said.

Mr. Shringla’s intervention reflects his ongoing commitment to strengthening the economic security and cultural legacy of the tea workers in Darjeeling. He reiterated his support for livelihood diversification programmes, which, he believes, can offer a sustainable model for thousands of families in the region, provided there is adequate institutional support.

As the crisis in the tea sector continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether the central government will act swiftly to address the mounting challenges facing the industry, particularly as it pertains to the protection of Darjeeling tea's global standing and the welfare of its workers.