Tripura’s Top Tea Estate Reels from Climate and Labor Woes

The Manu Valley tea estate in Tripura’s Unakoti district, responsible for roughly a quarter of the state’s 90 lakh kg annual tea output, is grappling with a steady decline in production due to climate change and a severe shortage of skilled workers, officials reported on Tuesday. Production has fallen from 24 lakh kg in 2022 to 21 lakh kg in 2024, casting uncertainty over the estate’s future.

Prabir Dey, Manager (HR), highlighted climate change as a major threat, with erratic rainfall disrupting tea bush growth. “Earlier, rains began in January or February, but now they start in April. Excessive rain in May and June hampers growth, while uneven precipitation affects yields,” Dey told PTI. This has led the estate to shift from green tea to orthodox tea production to maintain quality.

Compounding the issue, only 300 of the estate’s 900 registered workers show up regularly, as many opt for higher-paying MGNREGA work or other jobs, citing the estate’s daily wage of ₹204—supplemented by benefits like PF, bonuses, and free rations—as insufficient. To address this, the estate has introduced 50 plucking machines and trained 100 tribal villagers, but Dey noted that manual plucking remains superior for quality.

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Rising production costs, now over ₹180 per kg against a stagnant auction price of ₹206 per kg, further strain the estate. Dey criticized the lack of government subsidies, noting that Assam provides ₹10 per kg for green tea, while Tripura’s support is minimal. The proposed tea auction center in Agartala could ease transportation costs to Kolkata or Guwahati.

Spanning 318 hectares with 40 lakh tea bushes, the estate replants 5-10 hectares annually to replace the 2% of bushes that die naturally. “Replanting is critical for survival,” Dey said, underscoring efforts to sustain the estate amid mounting challenges.

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