BackFloods and pest attacks hit Assam tea industry hard
Floods and pest attacks hit Assam tea industry hard
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PTI
New Delhi: Tea companies in Assam, which have been struggling to cope with the rise in cost of production and loss in international markets, are now in even deeper trouble after the recent three waves of floods coupled with pest attacks.
With the unprecedented floods taking its toll in almost all the tea gardens, especially in the Barak Valley, Assam tea industry has seen a decline in production of 2 million kgs of tea, from 2,20,560 thousand kgs to 2,18,128 thousand kgs till August this year.
The tea industry of Barak Valley, which accounts for around 120 gardens - 70% of them owned by the Tea Association of India (TAI), was under a recession since 1999, but was showing signs of comeback till August this year by posting an increase in production of tea by 1 million kgs over last year. This comeback was at a time when the tea industry of Assam valley (Brahmaputra Valley) had posted a decline of 3 million kgs.
Floods add to local’s woes
Rail communication has been cut off between Barak Valley and other parts of the state since June this year following collapse of a bridge in North Cachar Hills, the road communication too was snapped on 27 July when a 300 mts stretch of National Highway was damaged at Sonapur near Jowai in Meghalaya, thus cutting off Barak Valley, Tripura and Mizoram completely from the rest of the country.
After undertaking repair works, though the National Highway was opened a week later, fresh and unprecedented floods in Barak valley since the first week of September have wrecked havoc.
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