Dooars & Terai: Rain brings relief to drought-struck tea belts

Finally, a sigh of relief sweeps through the tea belts of Dooars and Terai as over one inch of rain has fallen since Tuesday night, breaking a dry spell of almost 5 months. Continuous light rain has been falling in more than 300 tea gardens from Naxalbari to Kumargram since Tuesday night.

Small tea plantations in Jalpaiguri and the Darjeeling plains also received light drizzle. Naturally, the rain has brought a sigh of relief to the tea belts. According to the forecast of the Meteorological department, there may be light to moderate rain till Sunday in this region.

Chinmay Dhar, Chairman of North Bengal Tea Association of India, said: “After 156 days, we have finally received rain. It is very timely and a blessing to us. Good tea will be produced and every garden will be less infested with dust, pests and diseases. Irrigation costs will be reduced.

We welcome this early spring rain and hope to receive at least 5 inches of rain by Sunday. We have suffered enough in the last two months due to

the whims of nature and hopefully, this time, some good production will be possible.”

Experts note close to 1 inch of rain in the last 24 hours, suggesting that if this trend continues and tea gardens receive close to 5 inches of rain by Sunday, good tea production is expected throughout April. This rain, if sustained, will benefit every tea garden and reduce dependence on artificial irrigation.

The absence of rain since November has caused anxiety

among tea growers, especially as March and April are crucial for harvesting first flush leaves, which yield the finest tea. Last month’s erratic temperature variations further hampered tea leaf production.

Despite the challenging conditions, the tea market remains uncertain, with auctions failing to yield desired prices. The tea community hopes that sustained rainfall will not only boost production but also improve market conditions.