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.
The gardens, which made payments to their workers, are
Glenburn, Makaibari, Ambiok, Teendharia and Jangpara, he said.
“The owners of the gardens, who are yet to pay wages
to the labourers, are in discussion with the unions, and
hopefully, a decision will be taken by Saturday,” Chettri
said.
The Darjeeling tea workers are paid Rs 176 on a daily
basis in addition to ration and food.
Rudra Chatterjee, director of Luxmi Tea, which owns
the famous Makaibari brand, said, “Wages of our workers have
been paid during to the lockdown period including their
rations.”
He said awareness programmes including hygiene
practices are being held in the workers” colonies and
additional facilities such as isolation and quarantine centres
have been created in the estates.
Lohia said wages to the labourers have already been
paid and an awareness exercise is on to educate the workers”
community to prevent the coronavirus outbreak.
“Those who had left the gardens came back and they
have been put under self-quarantine,” he added.
