India’s Tea Production Fell 9 % in June 2025 to 133.5 Million kg Amid Weather and Pest Attacks.
Economy Business
In June 2025, India’s tea production declined by 9 percent, plunging to 133.5 million kilograms, compared to June 2024. The drop—driven by inclement weather, excessive rainfall, high temperatures, and widespread pest infestations—impacted both major tea-growing regions across North and South India.
- North India’s tea output fell by about 7.44 percent, reaching 112.51 million kg, while South India experienced a steeper decline of 16.7 percent, producing 20.99 million kg only. States including Kerala (–31 %), Tamil Nadu (–11 %), and Karnataka saw sharp reductions, signalling pan-regional distress.
- In Assam, the decline hovered around 10 percent, with the Cachar region performing marginally better. In West Bengal, the Dooars region dropped by 10.3 percent, while the Terai and Darjeeling zones saw modest growth, highlighting localized variations amid overall contraction.
- Tea gardens in North Bengal’s Dooars and Terai regions reported production reductions between 0.4 percent to 25.5 percent, largely due to unseasonal rainfall, higher-than-normal temperatures (reaching up to 36.9 °C), and infestation by pests like green fly, thrips, and red spider mites, aggravated by fungal and bacterial infections.
Main Point :- (i) According to the Indian Tea Association (ITA), erratic climate changes in 2025—including dry spells, temperature rises of 2 °C, and poor rainfall—worsened tea crop conditions. The July 2025 crop is also projected to decline by 15 percent to 20 percent, compounding industry stress from earlier shortfalls in 2024.
(ii) The sharp production decline has escalated downstream pressures: tea auction prices for CTC and dust varieties fell by 7 percent in Assam, and 9.5 percent in Dooars/Terai (West Bengal) between April and July. Rising tea imports (up 82 percent in 2024) have further depressed domestic price realisations, straining both planters and growers.
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