The Hindu Business Line : Crop damage put at 20-30% — Red spider mite hits southern tea estates

The red spider mite has revisited almost every plantation in the South. Though the intensity of the attack is said to vary from estate to estate, the UPASI Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) has estimated the crop damage at 20-30 per cent of the total area under tea, particularly in the Kotagiri and Kundah region.

"The dry weather spell coupled with frost has triggered the attack. The damage could be extensive if the drought-like condition prevails. The small growers are the worst affected lot," UPASI-KVK sources told Business Line.

Officials say the estate sector managed to take precautionary measures to control the infestation, but the small growers lacked the wherewithal.

"Proper pruning, spraying of urea and foliar application would help control the mite menace. We have been educating growers about this deadly mite. The infestation has become an annual trait, only the intensity varies," Dr Dhanalakshmi, senior scientist at UPASI-KVK, said.

The infestation has started to take its toll on tea production. Industry sources confirm a significant drop in tea production since December (compared with the corresponding period of the earlier year) and do not foresee any improvement until June.

While official estimates for January and February were not available, KVK sources said individual growers had recorded a 10-20 per cent decline in production levels.

As against the average normal yield of 5,800 kg of leaf per acre, the yield is said to have slipped to the 3,500 kg/acre, consequent to the mite attack.

In the meantime, small growers say they had started to get upwards of Rs 8 for every kg of green leaf. The rate is relative to the grade of the leaf and varied between Rs 8 and Rs 10/kg. "The rate is good, but where is the crop?" counter small growers.

The Secretary of the Small Growers Association, Dr S. Ramu, said he hoped the prices would sustain at least till June. "The small growers have not seen this kind of a hike in recent years. There is definitely a `silver lining'," he added.

KVK sources said the mite attack would impede growth but not the quality of the leaf.