Tea hubs, particularly of Medo area of Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh, have been adversely affected after the town was sealed and declared a containment zone following detection of a Covid-19 positive case, a participant in the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin.

Tea cultivation, particularly of the organic variety, is one of the major sources of income in many parts of this state.

Canadian tea expert Kel Kelly had arrived in the state in April 2012 to advise farmers on how to promote organic tea cultivation.

Gardens in Wakro and Medo, tea hubs of Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh, have been crippled after the towns were sealed and declared containment zones following detection of a Covid-19 positive case.

This has restricted movement of people and traffic, except medical and other essentials services.

The tea plants have overgrown as first plucking was due in early April while the second harvest is due in May and if not harvested the quality will be affected, resulting in huge losses.

The superintendent of police, Lohit, D.W. Thongon, said: “We have erected check gates 24x7 manned by police on both sides of National Highway 13 at every 3.6km distance within the township after the positive case was detected as per lockdown guidelines.”

-Wakro-Medo’s retired PH&WS chief engineer and general secretary of the Tea Grower Association, Lupalam Kri, said Medo tea estate owners have submitted a memorandum to the state chief secretary seeking immediate relaxation for inter-district movement of tea growers for marketing.

“We are going through bad times as our bumper harvests this season have been wasted leading to a crisis. Thus, paying wages to about 500 workers has posed a serious challenge. Continuation of lockdown will intensify the crisis,” he said.

He added that Medo depends on neighbouring Assam to sell its produce for the lack of a tea factory.

“We are totally dependent on the tea gardens but the lockdown has badly affected them and their employed workers ,” rued farmer Sanjay Ngadong,

Many tea farmers have also borne the brunt of lockdown, though large tea estates owners are the worst hit.

Over 600 acres of land have been brought under tea cultivation in the Wakro-Medo areas, said garden owner Arosa Ngadong.