Guwahati: The tea industry, one of the mainstays of the Assam economy, has hit a rough patch due to a lack of demand and overabundance of supply, North East Tea Association (NETA) adviser Bidyananda Borkotoky shared with Business North East. 

According to Borkotoky, who has been associated with the tea business for several decades, Assam’s farmers are not getting “enough remuneration” for their tea. “The current setback to the tea business is hard to explain. One line of reasoning suggests that perhaps the supply of tea is more than the demand in the market.”

Climate change, which is said to be becoming a matter of concern for cultivators, is another factor pinpointed by the expert as a possible reason for the ongoing woes.

“At this point, we have to concede that climate change is a fact and not some myth”, he said, adding that changes in temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns could wreak havoc on tea cultivation.

“During some months, tea growing areas are lashed by heavy to very heavy rainfall, while during following months, we see no rain at all. These unpredictable weather scenarios could directly affect the quality of the product, greatly reducing its value”, Borkotoky explained. “On the other hand, we have also witnessed a sharp spike in temperatures which is not at all conducive for growing the crop”, he opined.

Earlier this year, reports suggested that the Narendra Modi-led government has tasked the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to adopt multi-pronged steps to address the challenges created by climate change, especially in regard to farming practices.

Coincidentally, in a Monday report, news agency ANI quoted a senior official at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) as saying that tea worth Rs 2,300 has already been sold by the GTAC this year. Dinesh Bihani, the secretary of the GTAC, informed the agency that around 115 kilos of tea was sold at an average price of Rs 198.51 per kilo. In comparison, the auction centre sold 114.50 million kilos of tea at an average price of Rs 201.14 per kilo in 2022. Bihani in the interview, however, admitted that “tea quality and production are not as per the lines” and prices of the commodity are also trending downwards.

Borokotoky, on the other hand, notes the number is in no way significant. “Every year, a similar quantity of tea is sold. From my observations, I can conclude that the tea market has been very very bad this year.”

Assam is the world's largest tea-growing region by production due to high rainfall, moderate temperatures, and tropical climate – all conducive for growing tea. The state government, for its part, has promoted the product extensively in the national arena and at one point in time, hired renowned Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra to increase the marketability of the tea sector.

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