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Thousands of tea growers in the Nilgiris, already suffering the fallout of the Covid-19 restrictions, are now facing a new problem of red spider mite eating into the tea crop.
“The mite is spread across almost every tea field, especially in Kundah-Selas belt and Kotagiri, where there had not been good showers for some time now,” S Ramu, founder Chairman, Small Tea Growers’ Association of Southern India (STASI), told BusinessLine .
“Affected tea fields turn red in colour because of the massive mite invasion,” he said. “The pest sucks out the juice in tea leaves, leaving them dry and unsuitable for tea production.”
“The mite spreads from field to field and only heavy rain can wash it away,” he added.
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