Record rain batters Barak Valley tea estates, growers face up to 40% crop loss for June

Silchar: Relentless rainfall over the past week has wreaked havoc on tea plantations in Assam's Barak Valley, leaving growers grappling with fears of up to 40% crop loss for June. The downpour, following an unusually dry May, has plunged the region's tea industry into fresh turmoil.

According to Sushil Singh, chairman of the Tea Association of India (TAI), Barak Valley Branch, nearly 12,000 hectares of tea plantations across Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi districts remain submerged, with floodwaters still standing 3 to 4 feet deep in many low-lying estates.

Cachar bore the brunt of the deluge, recording 416mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending 8.30 am on June 1 — the highest ever recorded in a single day, eclipsing the previous mark of 290.3mm set in 1893.

"Waterlogging beyond 72 hours can prove fatal for tea bushes. Entire stretches of plantations are now at risk, just as the crucial second flush season — a key production window — gets underway," Singh said.

The downpour has also triggered breaches in embankments and landslides, snapping road connectivity to several tea estates. Washed-away bridges and submerged labour quarters have halted both plucking and processing operations, adding to the industry's woes.

The crisis comes close on the heels of a 22% production drop in May due to drought-like conditions, raising alarm among industry stakeholders over climate unpredictability and its growing impact on Barak Valley's tea sector. With power outages and battered roads delaying the movement of industrial inputs and processed tea, growers fear long-term consequences.

Industry leaders have urged both state and central authorities to step in with immediate relief and long-term adaptation plans to help the tea sector weather the changing climate.