GUWAHATI, JULY 11: The Tea Association of India (TAI), on Monday said that the massive floods and heavy rainfall affected the tea-producing belt of Northeast, comprising regions of Assam and North Bengal.
“The crop declined 11 per cent in Assam in June 2022 at 76.87 million kg from 86.37 million kg in the same month of the previous year,” said TAI secretary-general Prabir Kumar Bhattacharjee.
The Northeast produces 81 per cent of the country’s total tea production, and the recent floods and heavy rainfall have affected a number of tea producing regions.
Upper Assam received 42.79 cm of rainfall in May 2022 as against 29.79 cm in 2021. In June 2022, the region received 55.18 cm rainfall as against 29,66 cm in June 2021. The South Bank of the state received 20.74 cm of rainfall in May 2022 as against 19.64 cm in May 2021. In June 22, the region received 34.6 cm of rainfall as against 24.55 cm in June 2022. The North Bank received 46.12 cm rainfall in May 2022 as against 24.52 cm in May 2021, while the region received 64.15 cm rainfall in June 2022 as against 41.68 cm in June 2021.
Barak Valley received 74.73 cm rainfall in May 2021 as against 50.32 in May 2021, and the Valley received 89.43 cm rainfall in June 2022 as against 48.28 cm rainfall in June 2021.
Dooars and Terai region also received 41.48 cm rainfall in May 2022 as against 30.44 cm in May 2021. Similarly, the region has received 121.55 cm of rainfall in June 2022 as against 80.98 cm in June 2021.
Bhattacharjee said in Barak Valley, the crop yield decreased to 4.26 million kg in June 2022 as against 4.26 million kg in the previous year same month at 5.08 million kg, showing a decline of 16.14 per cent.
“The crop has been affected to the extent that the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley face 11 per cent and 16 per cent drop respectively and Dooars and Terai face 21 per cent and 19 per cent drop respectively for June 2022 vis-a-vis corresponding period of the previous year,” Bhattacharjee stated.
In Dooars region of West Bengal, the crop decreased to 21.92 million kg in June 2022, as compared to 27.75 million kg in June 2021, reflecting a fall of 21.01 per cent. In Terai the crop also showed a decrease of 19.03 per cent in June 2022 at 17.15 million kg as against 21.18 million kg in June 2021.
Bhattacharjee said in association with the crop loss in June, the industry had been affected by the rise in daily wages by Rs 30 per worker in North Bengal.
The drop in production is because of the lowering of the average maximum temperature by 1.50C in June 2022, resulting in lower average sunshine hours to the extent that some of the regions witnessed no sunshine in total 11 days out of 30 days in June 2022. Such a low temperature widened the diurnal temperature variations in June 2022 as that of June 2021.
“There has been a drop in CTC tea prices in May in the regions of Brahmaputra and Barak Valley in Assam and Dooars and Terai areas on West Bengal by approximately 15 per cent. The association said this situation is affecting the viability of the industry to a large extent,” he stated.