Alipurduar: Cyclone ‘Remal’ is expected to be a boon for about 300 tea gardens in North Bengal. While the cyclone caused extensive damage in the southern part of the state and in Bangladesh, it brought much-needed rain to the tea plantations in North Bengal after the drought.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in Sikkim, low pressure will persist, leading to good rains in Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Siliguri areas over the next 7-10 days.
Due to the lack of rain, over 300 tea plantations from Darjeeling to Alipurduar were in a dire state, causing great concern among tea garden owners and workers’ organisations. However, rain began again on Sunday night. Initial reports from the tea industry indicate light to moderate rain in Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and the Darjeeling plains. The Rahimabad Tea Garden in Kumargram Block of Alipurduar district received record rainfall of over 4 inches and the Dimdima Tea Garden of Madarihat Birpara Block also received steady rain. Other tea estates in the Terai-Dooars hills received varying amounts of rain, with some areas receiving over an inch. Chinmay Dhar, North Bengal Chairman of the Tea Association of India (TAI), stated: “It has indeed rained, but this rain is not enough to compensate for our losses. We need it to rain until June 10. Continuous rain will ensure that tea production is not adversely affected in the second half of June.” Part of the tea community remains optimistic, believing that Remal will continue to bring rain over the next 10 days, benefiting every tea garden to some extent.
Gopinath Raha, in-charge of the IMD in Gangtok, stated: “There is a forecast of good rain for the next few days, with the heaviest rain likely in Alipurduar.” Data shows that the Terai-Dooars region saw rain after 156 dry days on March 19, raising hopes for a good second flush tea production. However, virtually no rain fell in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar during March and April. On May 12, North Bengal received some rain, but it was insufficient for tea production, leading to an alarming situation in the tea gardens.