The surge in mercury across north Bengal like other parts of the state and the absence of rainfall have badly hit the tea industry, prompting planters to appeal to the labour minister to announce subsidies and financial assistance for the sector.

M.K. Maitra, the secretary of the Terai Indian Planters’ Association (TIPA), wrote to Bengal labour minister Moloy Ghatak on Thursday, saying the drought-like situation had hit the tea gardens across the Terai.

“In April, there was a rainfall shortage of around 50 per cent in the Terai, which has directly affected the production. At a time when the cost of production has increased because of the rise in cost of different components, the decline in production has put several gardens in crisis,” said Maitra.

With no rainfall reported in the Terai in recent weeks, over 40 tea estates in the region are entirely dependent on irrigation to ensure that tea bushes don't dry up. Also, the absence of rain has led to pest attacks in several gardens. In most gardens of the Terai, picking of tea leaves could be carried out only three to four days a week because of low yield, said a source.

“For irrigation purposes, the gardens had to pay huge power bills. That is why we have brought it to the notice of the state labour minister and have requested him to see that a substantial discount on electricity bills for irrigation is provided by the state from November to May,” said the TIPA secretary.

He said the central and state governments should come forward with other financial assistance, subsidies and additional relief and aid for the tea industry.

“Such assistance would help the industry tide over the current situation and contribute to the socio-economic well-being of the region,” added Maitra.

Those associated with the small tea sector, which contributes over 50 per cent of the total tea produced in Bengal, also articulated their distress.

“We don’t know when the weather conditions will improve. Most of the growers are dependent on the sale proceeds of tea leaves. These days, because of low yield, their earnings have deceased and many of them are finding it tough to pay the workers who pick tea leaves,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’ Associations.

Meetings called

Subhagata Gupta, the deputy labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri, has convened meetings in Jalpaiguri on May 6 to expedite the reopening of the Totapara tea estate.

The management of the garden in Banarhat block announced the suspension of work on Wednesday. As a result, 855 permanent workers became jobless.