Rain boon for tea growers in Kangra district

Dharamsala, April 2

Though recent rains in the region were detrimental to other crops, these have proved a boon for tea crop in Kangra district.

KG Butail, a leading tea farmer from Palampur area of Kangra district, while talking to The Tribune, said that tea crop in the region had been badly affected by the drought-like conditions in the month of February. However, heavy rains in March have proved a blessing. These have covered about 90 per cent crop which had suffered damage due to drought.

Butail further said that plucking of tea had begun in Kangra region. After the rains, the farmers are delaying plucking for a few days as new tea buds are likely to sprout due to rainy weather. “We expect that due to heavy rains in March the tea yield in Kangra would recover and fetch better price in the market,” he said.

Last week the European Union had recognised the Geographical Indicator (GI) for Kangra tea. Though Kangra tea got GI in the year 2005, it was recognized by European Union agriculture department only now. Kangra tea farmers are expecting that their produce would fetch better price in the European market after recognition of its GI.

Even though the government has banned transfer of land of tea gardens for any other purpose, the area under tea plantations in the valley has been decreasing. Presently, tea was being grown in about 800 hectares areas in Kangra. At one point of time total area under tea plantation in Kangra was about 1800 hectares.