Hit by estate shutdown, lukewarm demand brews concern for Darjeeling tea

The agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland and the consequent shutdown of tea estates in Darjeeling for several months in 2017 led to the tea practically vanishing from global markets

Darjeeling tea continues to be hit by the effects of the 104-day-long shutdown of tea estates in the region in 2017. This year too the premium tea, once prized for its flavour and aroma the world over, has opened to a lukewarm response form buyers in Europe and Japan, with the result that exporters are now looking for alternative markets.

Darjeeling tea usually fetches around $4.4 per kg in prime markets in Germany, the UK and elsewhere in Europe. And specialty tea varieties from this region, which are available in extremely limited quantities, can command upwards of $250 per kg in