KOLKATA: Amid rising temperatures and prolonged rainless periods due to climate change, large-scale attacks of pests and diseases in tea plantations across the country have become worrisome for planters.
An industry body has estimated the annual crop loss to the tune of around 147 million kg, a report in a national daily said on April 24.
The report quoting a statement issued by the Tea Research Association said the revenue loss due to pest infestation in tea plantations is pegged at Rs 2,865 crore per year.
“Pest and diseases were present earlier, but it has aggravated over the last few years. In north India, the incidence of pest attacks was initially limited to a few areas in Dooars in West Bengal and the south bank of Assam, but has been spreading rapidly in other tea-growing regions of Cachar, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling and Terai over the last two decades,” TRA secretary Joydeep Phukan said.
The major pests prevalent in north Indian tea plantations are tea mosquito bugs and looper caterpillars apart from thrips. There has been also a growing incidence and spread of termite infestation in northeast India, which is spreading to new areas, the TRA official said.
The cost of plant protection in tea plantations in the northern part of West Bengal and the northeast region of the country has increased manifold over the past two decades, reaching as high as Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per hectare, the statement said.
This has had a “negative impact on the viability of operations” leading to lower exports and global competitiveness.
