Climate change worries tea growers

While the volume of rainfall in the state has been showing significant variations,TES has gathered data that show a 200 cm decrease in rainfall in tea-growing districts. Decrease in rainfall is definitely a major issue,especially for the perennial crop like tea that is dependent on rainfall. We are,however,yet to reach any conclusion regarding the impact that this change has caused to the plantation industry as a whole, said Mridul Hazarika,director,TES,which was established in 1911.

A study being conducted by TES and partly funded by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research ICAR has taken into account rainfall and temperature data of the past 80 years to assess climate change impact on tea industry.

Besides climate change impact,it will also be interesting to find out the exact adaptability character that tea bushes probably have, Hazarika said from Jorhat.

The study,which began in late 2008,is expected to

be completed in the next two years.

Meanwhile,Tea Board chairman Basudev Banerjee recently said that erratic weather conditions had brought down production marginally down by 10 to 15 million kilos in 2009.