TAD NewsDesk, Assam: In the months of January and February, Assam and West Bengal received much lesser rainfall than usual. The tea companies are worried that this could affect the production of first flush of tea and Indian exports of it in total.
40 cm of rainfall is required for producing first flush teas but this year the states got only 20 cm of rainfall.
The total production of first flush teas is to the tune of 100 million kg. India is the largest black tea producer in the world with annual production of around 1390 million kg.
Azam Monem, director, McLeod Russel India said,
“The weather is very dry in Assam, the biggest tea producing region in the country. We had an average rainfall of 15-20 cm in January and February this year compared to 35-40 cm in the same months last year. Last year, it rained for 10-12 days across the tea estates. But this year it has only rained for 3-6 days.”
Dry weather could cause serious trouble for the tea industry and its exports. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said summer will be hotter this year in most parts of the country.
IMD said that maximum temperature will be as high as 0.86 degree centigrade higher than normal across northern, eastern and western India.
