Photo for representation.
(PTI)Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the floods, the tea industry of Assam is facing a huge loss.
Till August, the production loss was about 25 per cent, compared to the situation the previous year.The coronavirus-induced lockdown and devastating floods have hit the 180-year-old tea industry hard, and the biggest sector of the state has witnessed a revenue loss of Rs 1,200 crore.According to the Tea Board India, from January to July 2020, the state produced 222.37 million kg of tea compared to the 274.58 million kg of tea produced the previous year.
In 2019, the state had produced 716.49 million kg tea.The first flush of tea, which falls between March and April, was affected due to the lockdown.
The Assam branch secretary of Tea Association of India (TAI), Dipanjal Deka, said the Assam tea industry has faced a huge loss due to the coronavirus lockdown and the floods.Initially, the total production of Assam tea came down to 45-50 per cent.
But we have recovered a little with the help of the small tea growers.
The estimated crop loss is about 25 per cent this year.
I think we wont be able to recover it till the end of this year.
The tea auction prices are hiking, but I dont think it will mitigate the losses.
Apart from Covid-19, the floods have also hit the tea industry of the state, Dipanjal Deka said.Following the government order, tea auction started at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre from April 23, and 53.65 million kg of tea has been sold so far.
Last year, the Centre had sold 195 million kg of Assam tea.Meanwhile, the Tea Board India has directed all manufacturing units of Assam and the North-Eastern region to stop production from the second week of December, to curb the poor quality of tea production.
There are 803 registered tea gardens and over 10,000 small tea gardens in Assam.