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Kochi April 3 Severe drought and frost in the high ranges of Kerala have inflicted an estimated crop loss of Rs 8.8 crore to Kanan Devan Hills Plantation Company. The company had suffered a "crop loss of around 16 lakh kg of made tea and with an average price realisation of Rs 55 a kg, the estimated value of crop lost is Rs 8.8 crore," an official press release here said.

The frost and drought damage started occurring from the last week of December. An area of more than 1,600 acres of the company's tea plants have been affected at varying intensities, it said.

For 6 months

In about 900 acres, the crop shoots were repeatedly damaged in the last three months, while in 600 acres the damage extended to the maintenance foliage, and in 122 acres it extended into the frames which would entail crop loss for nearly six months.

Due to unprecedented dry conditions, the recovery of the frost-affected bushes would be difficult now. Moreover, "if we do not get immediate rains even the spring rush will be lost, which we will not make up this season," it added.

Kanan Devan is a private limited company formed in April 2005 by the former employees of Tata Tea Ltd in the concession lands of Kanan Devan Hills Village in Kerala, when Tata Tea decided to exit from the tea plantation business due to persistent crisis that endangered the very survival of plantation industry in Kerala.

More Stories on : Tea | Climate & Weather

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