Contrary to general perception, the recent Gorkhaland agitation in the Darjeeling hills did not much affect the majority of the leading tea growers in the hills.
Certainly, there had been some impact of the agitation on the tea industry but not as much as it was made out to be, according to tea industry sources.
Inquiries revealed that the bulk of the high-quality tea, commanding premium price in the world market, was harvested, processed and dispatched latest by end June-early July, much before the agitation was launched.
“The majority of top Darjeeling tea producers of quality made their money well in time, before the agitation had started”, observe the sources.
“The premium quality tea accounts for an estimated 40 per cent of total production but 80 per cent of the value”.
The total Darjeeling production is estimated at eight to nine million kg annually.
The Darjeeling tea starts becoming available from around March and by June the premium quality, both first flush and second flush, are dispatched out of the gardens and the bulk of this tea does not come to the auction for sales but is sold privately, mainly for exports.
The buyers, including those from overseas, would visit the gardens in April-May to inspect the crops so that dispatches could be completed by end June- early July and the deals are through.
This happens every year; this time also.
But then it will be wrong to presume that there has been no impact of the agitation at all on the tea industry in the hills.
The majority of the producers who account for not-so-high-quality tea and continue production till October-November have been hit; particularly the small growers who supply teas to some of the bigger gardens.
Small growers
There are a couple of hundred small growers in the Darjeeling hills and majority of them have been hit hard.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is spearheading the Gorkhaland movement in Darjeeling hills, exempted the tea gardens from the purview of the agitation; i.e. the plucking and processing of leaves were allowed but not the despatches of the processed tea.
Processed tea accumulation
As a result, there has been accumulation of stocks of processed tea at many gardens due to suspension of road movement as a sequel to the agitation.
Precisely for the same reason, the inputs for tea growing and processing as well as ration, mainly foodgrains, for the garden workers too could not be moved into the gardens.
Fortunately, the situation improved in past few days with the relaxation of the bandh.