Darjeeling gardens seek Nepalese import curbs to stem losses
Growers from Darjeeling are seeking curbs on imports of low-cost Nepalese tea in an attempt to curb heavy losses suffered by most plantations. They claim that "deceptively similar-looking" tea grown on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas is affecting both local demand and the price of Darjeeling tea. Nepalese tea is lower priced because it is cultivated by small-scale farmers with wages about 50% lower than in India. India's Darjeeling tea region has come under increasing pressure recently due to high labor costs and falling output. The area produced 14 million kilograms in 1991 and only 8.7 million kilograms in 2015 due to ageing bushes and the adoption of organic farming, which has lowered yields. The effects of climate change have also contributed to create more droughts and rainfall, wrecking havoc during this year's first and second flushes. According to the Darjeeling Tea Association, most of the 87 plantations reported losses for the last fiscal year. The industry employs 60,000 permanent workers and 40,000 more on a seasonal basis.