Monsoon woes hit Bengal's tea business
The delay in the arrival of monsoons and heavy rainfall is causing severe damage to a huge number of tea bushes, affecting green leaf production during the post-monsoon plucking season in North Bengal.
By Debasis Sarkar, TNN |
SILIGURI: The delay in the arrival of monsoons this year coupled with unprecedented heavy rainfall over the last week is causing severe damage to a huge number of tea bushes, affecting green leaf production during the post-monsoon plucking season in North Bengal.
The unnatural monsoon conditions this year is likely to leave its ill-effect on the tea sector that is totally dependent on the climatic situations. According to plantation experts, inadequate rainfall initially during the first half of June had dehydrated the bushes significantly.
The gardens could somehow be managed by the extra watering of bushes. However, the unprecedented heavy rainfall during the last one week has made the soil oversaturated, reducing its water absorbing capacity. Naturally, a huge number of bushes has seen water gathering at the base which is very harmful for them.
According to the Dooars area pluviometer (rain gauge) readings, there was nearly 85 inches of rainfall since July and the last week alone had 34 inches. “It is too high compared to the long term average,” said D Bannerjee, a veteran planter in the Dooars.
Besides innumerable small tea plantations in North Dinajpur area, nearly 200 gardens in the Dooars region have been affected. However, the gardens in the undulated tracts of Darjeeling’s hilly region are comparatively less affected.
The Indian Tea Association (ITA) is concerned about the flood situation in North Bengal.
The ITA officials added tea movements have been seriously hit and piling up of made tea stocks is posing a serious problem. “This could lead to serious cash flow problems for the tea industry at a very critical juncture,” they feared.
“The situation is really bad for tea bushes,” said tea scientist SE Kabeer, adding “Waterlogging at the base would trigger lower nutrients absorption by the bushes resulting in lower production volumes. More importantly, lack of nitrogen absorption would affect the quality of leaf.”
“In this situation,” he said “planters should go for a well-balanced mix of organic as well as inorganic fertilisers and minerals immediately after the heavy rainfall is over.”
The unnatural monsoon conditions this year is likely to leave its ill-effect on the tea sector that is totally dependent on the climatic situations. According to plantation experts, inadequate rainfall initially during the first half of June had dehydrated the bushes significantly.
The gardens could somehow be managed by the extra watering of bushes. However, the unprecedented heavy rainfall during the last one week has made the soil oversaturated, reducing its water absorbing capacity. Naturally, a huge number of bushes has seen water gathering at the base which is very harmful for them.
According to the Dooars area pluviometer (rain gauge) readings, there was nearly 85 inches of rainfall since July and the last week alone had 34 inches. “It is too high compared to the long term average,” said D Bannerjee, a veteran planter in the Dooars.
Besides innumerable small tea plantations in North Dinajpur area, nearly 200 gardens in the Dooars region have been affected. However, the gardens in the undulated tracts of Darjeeling’s hilly region are comparatively less affected.
The Indian Tea Association (ITA) is concerned about the flood situation in North Bengal.
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The ITA officials said, “ITA’s Dooars branch is in touch with the district administration to undertake immediate flood protection measures on a war-footing. Excessive rainfall coupled with reduced hours of sunlight has seriously depressed the crop. Production in September across the Dooars is reported to have been adversely affected as well.” The ITA officials added tea movements have been seriously hit and piling up of made tea stocks is posing a serious problem. “This could lead to serious cash flow problems for the tea industry at a very critical juncture,” they feared.
“The situation is really bad for tea bushes,” said tea scientist SE Kabeer, adding “Waterlogging at the base would trigger lower nutrients absorption by the bushes resulting in lower production volumes. More importantly, lack of nitrogen absorption would affect the quality of leaf.”
“In this situation,” he said “planters should go for a well-balanced mix of organic as well as inorganic fertilisers and minerals immediately after the heavy rainfall is over.”
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