The industry, reeling under losses for seven years in a row, will be begging for a one-time financial assistance to stay afloat. Buffeted by weak export demand and a deluge of cheap Nepalese variety in India, planters claim that business has become unviable with no direction in sight to turn around
Geopolitical headwinds leading to lower demand from export markets, coupled with lower domestic buying, have dragged the auction average of Darjeeling tea to its lowest level since 2015.
Data from Calcutta Tea Traders Association (CTTA) shows that the average price of Darjeeling tea at Kolkata auctions for January-December 2023 was Rs 319.74 per kg.
The last time it dipped below this level was in 2015 at Rs 285.71 per kg.
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Sandeep Mukherjee, principal adviser of Darjeeling Tea Association said “Of the 87 tea estates in Darjeeling, 7 are permanently closed. Many of them are somehow surviving and are not able to clear the statutory dues of the workers. The fate of the Darjeeling industry is uncertain and we do not know how long the gardens will continue their operations.”
Sandeep Mukherjee, principal adviser of Darjeeling Tea Association said “Of the 87 tea estates in Darjeeling, 7 are permanently closed. Many of them are somehow surviving and are not able to clear the statutory dues of the workers. The fate of the Darjeeling industry is uncertain and we do not know how long the gardens will continue their operations.”