Dry Winter Weather Lands Nilgiris Tea Sector In Soup

OOTY: For the eco-rich Nilgiris, the core centre of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, now it’s the period of dry weather and drought management as frost in the preceding months as well as the continuing dry weather prior to summer have already begun to dry up the jungles besides frost taking a toll of the yielding capacity in the tea and vegetable fields as natural dryness defence mechanism is missing in the ecological cycle here.

While tea is the major plantation crop which forms the bulk of agriculture commodity in the Nilgiris, frost-bite began to burn the fingers of the tea growers, especially the small tea growers (STG) who form the major chunk of the farming community in the hills.

Frost-bite is a peculiar and distinctive winter phenomenon in the hills here, wherein, the white ice crystals of frost deposited over the plants, cultivable crops and tea bushes, gradually char the plants.

Frost-bite generally occurs in the plants when the water inside its cells or sap of the plants freezes during night and expands when the sun rises. This damages the leafy parts.

This frost-linked physiological process disrupts the flow of water through the internal parts of a plant, causing the foliage to turn brown or black and shrivel.

That is called charring of the plant due to frost-bite that eventually brings down the yield in the tea gardens and in the vegetable fields. It is pertinent to note that the frost-bite also would char the jungle cover in the hills affecting photosynthesis and greenery.

N. Varadarajan, manager at Doddabetta tea factory here, said the arrival of green tea leaves, which are used to make black tea / tea dust, from the farmers to his factory has come down to around 1,000 to 1,500 kg per day from the normal 3,500 to 4,500 kg per day.

“Normally, during winter, tea yield would go down. It is a fact that winter and post-winter is a period of distress for the tea industry. Generally, till the arrival of summer showers, there is no possibility of good tidings for the tea farmers and those in the tea industry sector,” he explained.

Thumbur Bojan, president of the Malaimaavatta Siruvivasayigal Nala Sangam, who pleaded for special package, such as subsidy of Rs. 10,000 per acre of tea field or any other financial assistance, from the governments at the Centre and state to help the STG tide over the crisis due to drying weather, frost-bite and resultant low yield, said due to severe frost this winter and resultant frost-bite, the yielding capacity is affected to nearly 80 per cent in the tea gardens.

This indicates the plight of the tea cultivators who are struggling to make both ends meet. The depleting underground water, frost-bite that almost charred the tea bushes, and continuing dry weather are proving to be inhibitors for the tea yield that affects the tea economy and the tea farmers.

Tea should be included in the Essential Commodities Act and brought under the agriculture purview, instead of the present horticulture crop category, to help the tea farmers get minimum support price, he added.