Dry weather to impact Assam tea output
Assam, one of India's most famous tea producing regions, has seen its production falter in past months due to an ongoing dry weather spell. The region, accounting for half of India's total tea output, is coping with very limited rain since October 2008 and is expected to suffer a 75% drop in production during February and March. Tea gardens were caught off guard by this rare meteorological situation and have to rely on inadequate irrigation facilities to help the bushes withstand the drought. Industry insiders fear an overall dip in production and a consequent price escalation later in the year.