"Under blazing skies at a tea plantation in India's northeastern state of Assam, worker Kamini Kurmi wears an umbrella fastened over her head to keep her hands free to pluck delicate leaves from the bushes. When it's really hot, my head spins and my heart begins to beat very fast, said Kurmi, one of the many women employed for their dextrous fingers, instead of machines that harvest most conventional crops within a matter of days."
"Weather extremes are shrivelling harvests on India's tea plantations, endangering the future of an industry renowned for beverages as refreshing as the state of Assam and the adjoining hill station of Darjeeling in West Bengal state, while reshaping a global trade estimated at more than $10bn a year. Shifts in temperature and rainfall patterns are no longer occasional anomalies; they are the new normal, said Rupanjali Deb Baruah, a scientist at the Tea Research Association."
Heatwaves and irregular rainfall are reducing tea yields in Assam, forcing manual workers to cope with dangerous conditions and prompting estates to employ irrigation. Pest outbreaks are increasing because of shifting weather, further harming output. Domestic consumption growth is expected to reduce exports from India, the world's second-largest tea producer, potentially tightening global supply. Export declines, combined with stagnant output in Kenya and Sri Lanka, could push up international tea prices. Indian auction prices have risen only 4.8 percent annually over three decades, lagging behind staples like wheat and rice, while the global tea trade exceeds $10 billion yearly.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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