In Tripura Tea planters suffering from ‘crop loss’, ‘low pricing’

Agartala: Tea planters in Tripura are witnessing a “decline” in production due to prolonged dry season in the northeastern state and “falling” prices of the crop are putting pressure on margins, stakeholders said on Sunday.

Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) chairman Santosh Saha said tea plantations, the state’s second largest industry after rubber, are facing “crop loss” this season due to drought-like conditions.
“Our production has been affected due to drought-like conditions. There is a shortage of leaves, the volume in the auction market has also come down. It is a difficult situation for us to make a profit,” he told PTI.
State-owned TTDC has five estates and two manufacturing units with an annual production capacity of eight lakh kg.

Tripura has an annual production of 90 lakh kg of tea.

“There is no support price for tea from the government like the one provided for paddy. This system is prevalent across the country,” said Saha.
Prolonged rains have adversely affected production in the state, and despite the shortage, the selling price “has come down to Rs 200 per kg from Rs 300 last year,” said Parbir De manager of Manu Valley tea garden in
Unakoti district has arrived”.

Manu Valley Tea Estate is the largest plantation in Tripura, producing more than 15 lakh kg every year.
Now, the production cost per kg is Rs 160-170. Normally, we sell tea at Rs 300 per kg in April or May and the rate drops to Rs 150 in October. So, this is the time for us to make profit and also recover the loss in October,” D told PTI.

He said that the big farmers can manage the loss to some extent, but the small farmers are facing difficulties in coping with the situation.
He said that there are 52 plantations under private management and 22 factories for making tea in the northeastern state, but now only 13 are functioning due to shortage of leaves.

When contacted, T-Board Factory Advisory Officer, Laidh Debnath said, “Crop loss is being estimated. Now, we don’t have any data. So I don’t know the exact amount of crop loss due to drought.
Sumidha Das, owner of Showa Tea Estate, said, “In 2013, the cash component of a laborer’s wages was Rs 58 per day, apart from free ration and shelter. Apart from other benefits, the laborer’s wages have been reduced to Rs 176 per day. Coal The price of tea has increased to Rs 20 per kg from Rs 13 per kg three years ago.But the selling price of tea is not increasing.
He pointed out that in neighboring Assam, the government distributed Rs 63.05 crore as financial incentive to 370 tea gardens to help them mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but so far “tea plantations in Tripura No incentive has been given to the gardeners”.