Tea sector threatened globally due to climate change: Indian Tea Association

Tea pickers at a tea estate in Jorhat, Assam. Pic/iStock

Leading planters body Indian Tea Association (ITA) said climate change is threatening the industry globally which is resulting in lower yields and rise in production costs. An ITA spokesman said climate change is also threatening the long-term viability of tea industry, which is also causing increasing pest infestations making pesticide residue management surfacing as a major challenge.

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ITA said that the industry needs to adopt a multi-faceted approach to address the issue by way of sustainable farming practices and reduction in carbon footprint. There has also been a decline in rainfall and increase in temperature in the tea cultivating regions for the last several years, ITA said. According to the association, future projections indicate a substantial reduction in suitability in tea cultivation in areas where the crop is grown.

The other major area requiring work is optimising the use of chemical fertilisers and increasing use of renewable energy. The latest Tea Board data shows 13.43 kg production of tea in January 2023 against 16.22 million kg produced in January 2022.

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