The tea industry in Assam and neighbouring West Bengal has been hit hard by the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak and any extension beyond April 14 could further cripple the beleaguered 180-year-old sector, said industry captains.
Tea is among the biggest and most labour-intensive industries in both West Bengal and Assam. Assam, which accounts for more than half of the country’s tea output, employs about one million people in the plantation sector and has about 800 gardens.
In West Bengal, 283 gardens, which are spread across the Darjeeling hills, the Terai and the Dooars, employ about 350,000 workers and another 100,000 work for 40,000 small tea growers in north Bengal.
Though the Centre has allowed operations at tea gardens with 50% of their regular workforce, the governments in Assam and West Bengal have so far only allowed the plantations to irrigate and spray pesticides. In contrast, tea gardens in south India have started full-fledged operations in line with the Centre’s instructions.
In Assam, the industry has been reeling under the impact of increased production and stagnant prices for long. The gardens in the Darjeeling hills and in the Terai have been relatively better off than the ones in the Dooars, where many are periodically closed over persistent disputes between the management and labour unions. The lockdown couldn’t have come at a worst time for an industry that has seen better days.
{{/usCountry}}In Assam, the industry has been reeling under the impact of increased production and stagnant prices for long. The gardens in the Darjeeling hills and in the Terai have been relatively better off than the ones in the Dooars, where many are periodically closed over persistent disputes between the management and labour unions. The lockdown couldn’t have come at a worst time for an industry that has seen better days.
{{/usCountry}}Factories in tea garden across Assam and West Bengal are closed because of the lockdown and the plucking of leaves is suspended. The first flush --- the first plucking of the harvest season, which occurs between March-April and accounts for the best quality tea and fetches high prices in international markets --- has already taken a massive hit.
“Labour unions are demanding that we pay full wages to our workers for the lockdown. If the lockdown continues and the industry is not given any benefits, the industry will be further crippled,” Bezboruah, a planter himself, said.
In Assam, a decision to allow the gardens to continue plucking and operating factories from April 1 onwards while maintaining social distancing measures has been put on hold reportedly because of pressure from some groups.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on April 6 that she would not risk allowing the gardens to operate because the area, where the gardens are located, shares international borders with Nepal and Bhutan and state borders with Sikkim and Assam. “I’ve spoken with the people involved in the industry and they’re all of the opinion that the lockdown should continue. Also, the workers are scared of the viral outbreak and unwilling to join work,” Banerjee said.
Tea bushes in many gardens in Bengal are overgrowing because of the lockdown and suspension of plucking and planters have been urging the government to allow skiffing -- the removal of overgrown leaves. On Thursday, the Bengal government allowed skiffing with only 15% of the workforce on condition that social distancing norms would be strictly followed.
Banerjee also hinted that she would gradually allow more workers to join work. “Let them start with 15%. We can add 15% more in phases if the situation allows,” she said.
“We welcome the Bengal government’s decision. It has come at a very good time. We can continue with skiffing and wait for plucking for a while,” said Arijit Raha, secretary-general of the Kolkata-headquartered Indian Tea Association. However, a Darjeeling-based planter, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “To a great extent, the first flush is already lost. However, we can still recover if we continue skiffing for the next few days and start plucking by the third week of April.”
Assam industries minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that deputy commissioners in districts would implement the Centre’s directives on the functioning of some industries during the lockdown, provided they fulfil the social distancing norms. “The rule is applicable to all sectors and not just the tea industry. The state government hasn’t issued any separate directives on this matter,” Patowary said.
PK Bezboruah, chairman of Tea Board India, said: “While the Assam government is trying to address the issue, not a single measure has been announced by Centre to support the industry.”
In March, Bezboruah had written to the Centre seeking a package worth ₹1,500 crore, but the government’s response is still pending. The Centre has not been coming to the industry’s aid, despite the problems it has faced over the past two years, the planters alleged.
“The production in north India (Assam and West Bengal) would come down by around 150 million kilograms during the 21-day lockdown. The industry will suffer a loss of around ₹1,700 crore,” Bezboruah said.
If the lockdown gets extended till mid-May and tea gardens are not allowed to operate or get a relief package, the loss of production and revenue could double to around ₹3,000 crore and there would be a loss of production of 1,150 million kilograms -- nearly 25% of the annual output, industry watchers said.
The Assam Tea Tribes Students Association has also expressed resentment over the “reluctance of the tea garden management to release full wages and rations to tea garden workers for the lockdown period”. However, no such demand has been launched in Bengal to date.