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By Dipaneeta Das: The tea gardens of Terai and Dooars in North Bengal are facing a severe heatwave, which is affecting the production of the second flush. The extreme heat has caused extensive damage to the tea bushes, leading to a significant drop in the yield. Plantation workers are also facing the wrath of a sweltering summer with top tier tea leaves infected by seasonal insects leading companies to run at extensive loss.
“Lack of rain is causing red spiders to feed on tea leaves. The second flush leaves will wilt as the insects eat away the tea plants,” explained Asis Toppo, a local plantation manager at Majher Dabri Tea garden. Delving into details, Toppo added, “The leaves have scorched in the extreme heat and turned yellow.”
The Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of North Bengal produce the most tea in the state, which produces somewhere between 8 to 10 lakh kilograms of tea per year.
It is pertinent to mention that second flush tea season begins from the month of April. The leaves thrive best at temperatures between 28 to 32 degrees. However, according to the Meteorological Department, West Bengal is experiencing temperatures between 35 to 40 degrees on regular basis.
Extreme heat wave is expected to continue in five districts of South Bengal and three districts of North Bengal in next 24 hours. Extreme heat wave will continue till tomorrow in Bankura, Purulia, West Burdwan, Jhargram, Birbhum. Meanwhile, spells of rain is anticipated from Saturday to Monday in North Bengal. However, heatwave conditions will continue in rest of South Bengal districts until Friday 21, said MeT Kolkata.
Atleast 200 tea plantations in the region are already struggling with the impact of climate change, cheaper tea, and competition from tea varieties from Nepal. And the prevailing heat is adding to the existing woes.
“There was no rain in the last 15 days. The last spells were in March. Meanwhile, dry winds have led plants to lose water as temperature difference between maximum and minimum temperatures,” elaborated Mahendra Bansal, Chairman of Terai India Planter’s Association (TIPA). Scorching heat has left young buds to dry out. According to estimates provided by Bansal, the average production has dropped to 3000 kilograms per year.
The tea growers in Darjeeling have turned to organic farming techniques to make their estates more resilient against the gyrating weather. However, the current heatwave has made it difficult for them to maintain the quality of their tea to moisture lacking winds.
The workers in the tea plantations are also struggling to cope with the heat, which is affecting their health and productivity. At Majher Dabri Tea garden, as many as 3-4 workers have fallen sick due to the heatwave while plucking tea leaves.
The situation is particularly challenging for women tea pickers, who are toiling in the scorching heat while being alert to leopards, elephants, and cobras1. The tea industry is a significant source of employment in North Bengal, and the current heatwave is likely to have a severe impact on the livelihoods of the workers.
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