Darjeeling tea industry faces shutdown due to political strikes
Tea production in Darjeeling is about to grind to a halt if a political strike in the region is not resolved. Ethnic Gurkhas are staging a total shutdown of Darjeeling hills in West Bengal to demand the establishment of "Gorkhaland", a separate political and administrative unit in Gurkha populated districts of West Bengal. Although the tea industry is exempted from the shutdown, reports suggest that tea transport from factories has effectively ceased and producers are forced to store large amounts of tea on limited factory space. Also, vital supplies such as coal, used in furnaces to turn green tea into black tea, cannot reach the factories and are running out. While end consumers are unlikely to notice any impact, auction prices of Darjeeling tea may go up if the strike continues for more than a few days.