First-flush tea output likely to be lower

40% of crops could be affected; increased pest proliferation making situation worse

Erratic weather conditions, especially delayed rain, coupled with increased pest proliferation, is casting a shadow on the production of high value first-flush tea in North Bengal and the adjoining sub-Himalayan region.

Small growers estimate at least 40 per cent of the first-flush crop this year might be hit. Arrivals usually start in March. Only production of Assam tea is stable, say sectoral officials. Also, there is pressure on supply from the south, with frost in the Nilgiris and a labour strike at Kanan Devan Hill Plantations last year. All this will send prices northward, though the industry feels it is a bit early to comment on the coming auctions.

Says B G Chakroborty, president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association: “In 2015, North Bengal produced around 355 million kg, of which small growers produced 131 mn kg. This year, however, since September, this region has not seen any rain and we are dependent on artificial irrigation.” Pest infiltration is also high, says the Association. Output in February-March is down 50 per cent when compared to the same periods last year, said Chakraborty.

Piyush Desai, chairman of the Wagh Bakri Group and president of the Western India Tea Dealers Association, says there would certainly be an impact on production this year in the sub-Himalayan zone. “However, first-flush production also happens around April, and there is still some scope for rain before that,” he added.

First-flush production basically requires adequate winter rain. It accounts for nearly a fifth of production in the Terai, Dooars and Darjeeling belt; in terms of value, it is around 35 per cent. The trans-Himalayan region accounts for nearly 28 per cent of national production.

There are about 250,000 small tea growers in Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh. Together, they contribute nearly 38 per cent of India's production. Subrata Roy, business advisor to the tea division of Aditya Birla Group and a sector veteran, said steady output in Assam might compensate for the loss of production, if any, in the other regions.