Tea production in West Bengal suffers due to scarce rainfall

Siliguri, Dec 9 (ANI): Scarcity of rainfall has had an adverse effect on the production of many crops and the latest to be hit is the tea production in Siliguri.

Spells of rainless monsoon seasons for the last five years have brought in a sharp drop in the production level of tea in the whole of the tea-producing region of West Bengal. The meteorological experts believe that the adverse effect on the tea production in the region is due to the climatic changes taking place in the world.

"Actually, due to natural calamity, the weather is very imbalanced, due to global warming and shortage of rainfall. Because at the peak period, that is the rainy season, wherein we are producing much more quantity of leaves, but this year rainfall is low and automatically production is reduced," said Dr. Subir Sarkar, a met expert of the North Bengal University of West Bengal.

Rising temperatures and falling humidity levels in the Doars and Terai regions of West Bengal are wreaking further havoc on the tea plantations.

"The rain has been less in September, even in October and November and since the last 90 days there has been no rain. So definitely there are enough droughts, so that the crop might not be good this year. So, there will be another loss for the tea industry," said Rajib Gutpa, the manager of a tea garden.

The produce in these regions is about 210 million kilograms of tea every year, on an average, but the total production has now gone down by about 25 to 30 percent.

Traders fear that the production level is definitely going to make them suffer a lot in the coming seasons.

"This time tea production is very less. It is because this tea estate is in the Terai region of West Bengal and the reason is that rain was less last year, and disease and pests have also been more. Pest attack was more, due to which production has fallen by 20 per cent," said Probir Seal, a tea garden owner. (ANI)