Scorching Skies Threaten Assam's Tea Legacy
Assam's tea plantations face dire challenges from changing climate patterns, affecting harvests and global tea trade. With extreme weather reducing yields and boosting costs, pressure mounts on this industry as domestic consumption rises. This shift could contribute to tightening global tea supplies and rising prices.
Under the blistering sun of Assam's tea plantations, workers like Kamini Kurmi endure grueling conditions to pluck delicate leaves. These are not just fruits of labor but symbols of a beleaguered industry grappling with extreme weather.
Scientists and industry veterans alike are alarmed by changing climate patterns. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, once anomalies, have become constants, cutting yields and hampering output. This concern is echoed by Rupanjali Deb Baruah of the Tea Research Association.
Leaving little room for error, these challenges coincide with soaring domestic consumption. As India's status as the world's second-largest tea exporter hangs in the balance, the global tea market braces for tighter supplies and potentially rising prices.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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