Making tea the national drink

Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water but the tea industry is gripped by a plethora of problems. From the decline in consumption in tea-importing countries, loss of production due to climate change impact, low consumption in tea producing countries to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the problems galore. The problems of this labour-intensive industry, if remain unaddressed, are going to make life miserable for millions of families of tea workers. For these downtrodden families, the tea industry is the primary source of livelihood. The General Assembly of the United Nations designated this day as the International Tea Day last year to remind the tea producing and the tea importing countries of the importance of increasing tea consumption to support the sustainable production of tea and raise "awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty." The UN General Assembly made the declaration on a proposed move by India at the FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea in 2015. Assam accounting for more than 50 per cent of India's total tea production and employing over a million people in the industry, this day has special significance for the state and its people. A severe crisis is looming large over the tea industry in Assam due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infection in tea garden areas in the current second wave of the pandemic and loss of production due to extreme weather condition. The North Eastern Tea Association has estimated the crop loss to be around 60 million kilograms between January and May compared to the same period in 2019. A study conducted by the industry body in collaboration with Bharatiya Chah Parishad brought to light that the crop deficit is around 40 per cent. Fluctuation in temperature compounded the problem caused by deficit rainfall. The study attributed the crop loss due to a deficit in rainfall from January to April to the tune of around 45 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year in most tea-producing districts. The NETA estimated the crop loss due to lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020 in this period was around 80 million kg and revenue loss at Rs 1128 crore. The Tea Board of India statistics put the crop loss during the period at 78 million kg corroborating the NETA study findings of last year. Assam has 783 big tea gardens and 1.18 lakh small tea gardens and women constitute more than 50 per cent of the workforce. Globally, around 13 million people are employed in tea production. The crop loss due to deficit rainfall can be mitigated by irrigation support. The Assam government extending irrigation support to the tea growers will be vital to arrest the production loss. The problem has become severe for small tea growers.

Small sectors account for more than 50 per cent of the state's production and crop loss due to lack of irrigation support to make up for the deficit rainfall threatens to make small tea cultivation unviable for many growers. The impact of small tea gardens becoming unviable due to such problems will have a cascading impact on the industry and livelihood of tea workers. Preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection among tea garden workers and their family members is critical to sustaining the production at an optimal level during the prevailing pandemic situation. The central and the state government prioritising tea workers for vaccination and set up adequate vaccination centres in tea garden areas is vital to protect the vast workforce of the industry from the pandemic. Augmenting health systems in tea garden areas on a priority basis should top the list of priorities for preparedness against the third wave of the pandemic. One way of absorbing such shocks is to increase the demand for tea by popularizing its consumption in the state and the country. Increasing domestic consumption will lead to higher production in normal weather condition which will absorb the shocks during extreme weather period. Aggressive campaign on health benefits of tea consumption including its anti-oxidant value and rejuvenating quality can fuel more demands. The younger generation being more health-conscious can be encouraged to drink more tea with the right messaging by the scientific community. The Assam government has already declared tea as the official state drink. The NETA and other tea industry bodies have been lobbying for the declaration of tea as a national drink. It is hoped that the central government will take note of the importance of increasing domestic consumption to help the industry overcome the problems of crop loss and sustain the industry to support millions of tea workers and declare tea as a national drink. The industry on its part has to ensure the quality of tea produced to complement efforts to increase tea consumption. A formal notification by the central government declaring its national drink status will make the teacup cheer the entire nation.