Low Rainfall Affects Tea, Agriculture Sectors In North Bengal
Due to the erratic weather in June and July, pest attacks and other arboreal diseases have increased, leading to a huge decline in tea production.
Published : July 16, 2025 at 1:52 PM IST
Jalpaiguri: While south Bengal is witnessing a flood-like situation due to extreme downpour, the tea industry and agriculture sector in north Bengal are affected by drought, thanks to below normal rainfall in the region.
Jalpaiguri got 49 per cent less rainfall, Alipurduar has a deficit of 55 per cent, and Darjeeling saw 45 per cent less rainfall. Due to erratic weather in June and July, pest attacks and other arboreal diseases have increased, leading to a decline in tea production by nearly seven lakh kg, as reported by the Tea Research Association. It said 64,84,618 kg of tea leaves were produced in Dooars in June last year, and the production is 25 per cent lower this year.
On the other hand, farmers are staring at huge losses in Aman cultivation. Although the seedbeds are ready, they are unable to plant rice seedlings due to the lack of water. Rice seedlings are planted every year at this time. But insufficient rain this year has resulted in canals drying up. The problem has been exaggerated by the lack of an irrigation system.
According to the North Eastern Irrigation Department, Jalpaiguri receives an average of 3,000-3,200 mm of rainfall every year. In June 2020, Jalpaiguri received 2046.70 mm of rainfall. In 2021, it will receive 1174.90 mm of rainfall. In 2022, it will receive 1939.20 mm of rainfall. In 2023, it will receive 1605.40 mm of rainfall. In June 2024, it received 2091.70 mm of rainfall. Compared to the last five years, this year, only 913.70 mm of rainfall has been received till July 13.
Krishnendu Bhowmik, chief engineer of the North Eastern Irrigation Department, said, "Rainfall has been much less this year. The Indian Meteorological Department has informed us about a deficient rainfall in July itself."
Till July 13, Alipurduar received 549.2mm of rain, a deficit of 56 per cent; Cooch Behar received 474.9mm, a deficit of 51 per cent; Darjeeling received 579mm, a deficit of 46 per cent; Jalpaiguri got 613.6mm, a deficit of 49 per cent; Malda got 282.3mm, a 30 per cent deficit; North Dinajpur received 225.7mm, a deficit of 60 per cent, South Dinajpur received 230mm, a deficit of 43 per cent.
Gopinath Raha, the officer-in-charge of IMD Sikkim and North Bengal, said, "North Bengal has received much less rainfall than normal. So far, only the Jalpaiguri district has experienced a 49 per cent rainfall deficit. Due to the lack of rain, the temperature is rising, leading to pest attacks."
Amritanshu Chakraborty, convener of the Indian Tea Planters Association, said, "We know there will be losses, but it is not the time to count as we have to wait a little longer. This is an irreparable loss. The vagaries of the weather are not favourable for the tea industry."
"If there is an excess rainfall in the coming months, it will also cause damage. All in all, the tea industry is suffering. Insect attacks have increased. The situation is not in our favour. It is not that the situation will be in our favour in the future either. Due to the drought, the condition of every tea estate in North Bengal is bad. It is not possible to say how many lakh kg of tea are in short supply. Currently, there is a shortage of about 25 per cent of tea production, which may increase further. I am clueless about the amount of loss," he added.
Gouranga Biswas, a farmer from Jalpaiguri, said, "Farmers are in big trouble. We cut jute and then cultivate paddy. Due to a lack of water, we cannot even harvest jute. We need mud to cultivate paddy. There is a problem with irrigation. I don't know what to do."
Vijaygopal Chakraborty, secretary of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association, said, "This year, tea production in North Bengal has been greatly reduced due to a combination of drought and insect attacks."
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