Tea growers in rain-soaked Bengal stare at heavy losses as production dips

Information from the tea belt is still trickling in, but industry officials say bushes have been lost in certain gardens, and infrastructure has sustained damage

Heavy rainfall and landslides in north Bengal are casting a shadow over the final phase of the tea growing season, with production feared to take a hit.

 

From Saturday night into Sunday, persistent rainfall wreaked havoc across the region, triggering landslides, flooding, and widespread damage to infrastructure in both the hills and plains. The death toll reported so far stands at 28.

 

Information from the tea belt is still trickling in, but industry officials say bushes have been lost in some gardens, and infrastructure has sustained damage. “The situation is severe,” said Sandeep Singhania, president of the Tea Association of India. “In addition to the heavy rain that we have received, overflow from rivers in Bhutan and Nepal has worsened the flooding. Many plantations have sunk, labour quarters have been damaged, and teas destroyed.”

 

Both Dooars and Darjeeling have been affected, with the impact more acute in Darjeeling, owing to its hilly terrain, he added.

 

The tea growing region in north Bengal, including Dooars and Darjeeling, accounts for about 29 per cent of the country’s total tea production.

 

B K Laskar, senior advisory officer at the Tea Research Association’s Darjeeling Advisory Centre, said reports from some gardens indicate that portions of tea land have been affected by landslides, although it is difficult to assess the full impact at present.

 

But an effect on production is considered likely. “In one or two gardens, water has seeped into the factory, which will impact the output. Moreover, whenever there is excessive rain, production goes into temporary shutdown, automatically impacting output. And right now, the available workforce is more likely to focus on restoration work rather than plucking,” he explained.

 

Shaibal Dutt, managing director and chief executive officer of the Goodricke group, said: “We have lost a lot of tea bushes to landslides in our Darjeeling gardens. The exact area lost is still being ascertained.” 

 

“In our Dooars gardens, some of the tea areas experienced waterlogging and some sections were also submerged. In one garden, water entered the factory overnight, disrupting manufacturing, and it was only with timely action that we were able to prevent water from entering the sorting room where teas are stored,” he added.

 

The garden managements are making all efforts to ensure the safety of garden workers, residents, and families, Dutt said, noting that while the weather has cleared, the region remains under red alert. “While we have had heavy rains earlier, this kind of situation is something we have not experienced before.”

 

Ashok Lohia, the largest producer of Darjeeling tea and head of the Chamong group, said there has been loss of lives, property, and plantations. “According to reports received, three people have died in our gardens. We will lose some plantation area, and the production loss could be significant.”

 

The tea growing season in North India is currently in the final leg. There are fears that the autumn flush could be affected in Darjeeling and Dooars.

 

While the first and second flushes are prized produce in Darjeeling, autumn too has its distinct characteristics, Laskar pointed out.

 

According to Anshuman Kanoria, chairman of the Indian Tea Exporters Association (ITEA), Darjeeling production is already at an all-time low in 2025. “Production of the autumn flush has already been declining -- currently at about 1–2 per cent of annual tea production. Now, October and autumn output will be further hit, both in terms of leaf growth and labour availability,” he said.

 

Beyond the domestic market, the Darjeeling autumn flush is also exported to Germany and Japan.

 

For Darjeeling, according to industry executives, it is yet another blow. “In 2017, Darjeeling’s tea industry was hit by the Gorkhaland agitation -- a man-made disaster that shut down the industry for 104 days. Now, it is reeling from nature’s fury, which has crippled the backbone of most estates,” Lohia said.

 

“It has been reeling from one disaster to the next,” Kanoria observed. “It’s high time the government announced a special relief package for India’s heritage Darjeeling tea industry.”