Darjeeling tea production in trouble

Since 3 August, the Ethnic Gurkhas have closed down the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, cutting off traffic, and stopping commercial activity in the area. The group is demanding the establishment of Gorkhaland, a separate political and administrative unit in Gurkha, according to a report in The Guardian.

Whilst tea production has been exempt from the shutdown, the situation has affected transport of the product from factories to customers. Meanwhile, production of tea continues but only as long as manufacturers have coal to turn green tea to black tea. Since the strike began, supply of coal has not been able to reach suppliers.  

End consumers are not likely to feel the effect now, but auction prices for Darjeeling could go up if the problem continues. A report from Z news says that the Gurkhas, led by the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee, will be staging more protests this week to be heard by government. (Photo courtesy of Mark Shardro)

Related link: More news on Darjeeling tea