First flush Darjeeling tea almost lost due to lockdown, say planters

KOLKATA: The Darjeeling tea industry on Saturday said it has almost lost its first flush production in the wake of the ongoing lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a financial crunch for garden owners as the premium variety contribues 40 per cent of the annual revenue of the planters.

The first flush accounts for 20 per cent of the 8 million kg annual production in the hills, Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) chairman Binod Mohan said.

“The condition is very bad. The first flush is almost wiped out,” he told PTI.

DTA’S former chairman Ashok Lohia said the entire first flush crop is exportable and there will be an adverse impact on the annual revenue due to the production loss of this premium variety.

“We want the government to allow production to start, since this is primarily an agricultural activity,” Lohia, chairman of Chamong Tea, said.

The first flush season starts from March and continues till first week of May.

Despite the financial crisis in the sector, some of the gardens are making payments to the workers as per the government’s directive, Mohan said.

Some of the Darjeeling tea garden owners whose financial conditions are not good, have been facing difficulties to meet wage payment obligations, he said. “We have requested the West Bengal government to reduce their burdens to some extent,” Mohan said.

There are nearly 87 gardens in the hills.

Darjeeling chapter of the Indian Tea Association (DITA) secretary M Chettri said that it has 22 members and five of them have paid wages to the workers during the lockdown period even though production came to a halt.