Good news for the people of Assam, the state’s tea industry has reopened. While most gardens and factories – including small tea growers and bought-leaf factories – in Dibrugarh district reopened on Saturday, those in other districts are reopening in the next few days. Having come to a grinding halt since the ‘janata curfew’ of March 22 in view of the global coronavirus pandemic, the state’s tea industry in fact missed the new tea season of the year which starts in the second week of March, including the most important ‘first flush’ which comes in March and April. In fact, Assam lost the entire crop of March, which North East Tea Association (NETA) sources estimate to be about 33 million kg – roughly 4.5% of the state’s annual production. Assam total tea production in 2019 stood roughly at 715 million kg – about 52% of India’s total. Estimates attributed to the Tea Board said Assam’s tea industry is likely to suffer during the three-week lockdown at around 15% in revenue and 12% in volume. The tea industry has been already suffering in the past few years due to increasing overhead cost and static prices. The global pandemic has only added to its woes. The Assam government must be appreciated for having understood the tea industry’s problems and permitted its resumption with immediate effect. Though the estates will, for all practical purposes open only after Bihu, the industry will also have to remain content with limited production despite the fact that April alone contributes roughly 6.5% of the state’s annual crop output. Considering that regular plucking will begin on April 16, and that there has already been a crop loss due to skiffing, the total crop loss for April is feared to be a whopping 30 million kg. According to the North East Tea Association (NETA), the lockdown will straightaway cause a loss of about 60 million kg. Assuming that the new season tea fetches an average price of Rs 180 per kg, the total revenue loss to the industry in Assam would be about Rs 1,080 crore. It is now for the tea garden managements to make the best use of the relaxation, take the best care of the workforce as well as their children, conduct effective sanitation and hygiene campaigns, social distancing and hand-washing, and motivate all levels of the workforce to achieve optimum output despite the constraints.