Assam Tea: How to weather the climate change?

High up there, where the clouds are in a flirting embrace with the mountain ranges, where the cold winds gently swish by you (yes, giving you those unique, lingering goose bumps), where all around you there is that pure fluorescent green, interspersed with granite hutments in constant sleep; a tear drop is the last thing that you can expect, unless, of course it is a dew drop that would still cling to the tip of that tea leaf.

Assam tea is sobbing, and may the heavens forbid, it could be its last.

Tea production in Assam, a legacy of India’s colonial past, has come down.

In fact, the strong flavour of Assam tea, may be for the first time in history, has shown palpable deterioration with the production output also coming down significantly.

The State produced 564,000 tons of tea in 2007. But in 2009, it came down to 487,000 tons. The Assam Branch Indian Tea Association has estimated tea output of 460,000 tons in 2010 which is evidently less when compared to previous years.

In fact, 850 tea plantations in Assam spread across 593,000 acres account for 55% of India’s total tea output.

Now, who is the beast holding Assam tea for a ransom?

Climate change!

Prolonged monsoons kept the sunshine in Assam at bay for a while and this made a dent in the tea production of Assam; spoiling quality and quantity.

Pest attacks have also thrived as a consequence of climate change with damp weather promoting proliferation of mosquito bugs that attack the fresh shoots of the tea plant.

Aggressive pest control measures have not been implemented in Assam considering the brittle and sensitive eco-system that exists there.

This decision has cost the planters dearly.

Dormancy period of tea plants has also been affected as the weather gets warmer.

According to Bhoogyan, temperature in certain regions of Assam that stayed below 4-5 degree Celsius was ideal in maintaining dormancy of tea plants. Now, the same regions have seen temperature not going below 9 degree Celsius.

All this calls for immediate intervention by policy community, scientists and of course, tea lovers.

In the near future, Tea Board of India is planning research activities aimed to mitigate effects of climate change on Assam Tea crops, according to Dr.B.Bera, Director of Research.

Until then...? Let the tea leaves sob...

As published in: http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Assam-Tea-How-to-weather-the-climate-change-36418-3-1.html