Erratic Rainfall, High Temperatures, Pests Hit Assam Tea Production

Tea production in Assam was adversely impacted in Assam as erratic rainfall in June and high temperatures in July affected the current crop.

In the two-century-old gardens in Assam's Dibrugarh district, tea planters said temperatures soared up to 36 degrees Celsius and dipped to 26 degrees Celsius at night in July, impacting the health of the crop. Across the around 850 tea gardens registered in Assam, rain deficit played spoilsport last month.

In June, the rainfall was erratic, causing a 12 per cent drop in tea production for the month of June 2025 compared to June 2024, as per Madhurjya Baruah, Secretary of Assam Branch India Tea Assam (ABITA) Zone - I.  This was also due to a 50 per cent deficit in rainfall.

The heat combined with low rainfall dealt a double blow to tea production, Sarvesh Saharia, the Chairman of Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP), told NDTV. "First, it stresses the tea bushes. Second, it's creating ideal conditions for pests, especially red spider mites, which are causing serious damage in some pockets. On top of that, we're also seeing increased pressure from thrips, looper caterpillars and green flies," he said.

Tea producers now hope for favourable weather in August and September in order to see production return to normal levels.