The North Bengal Tea Producers’ Welfare Association (NBTPWA), representing Bought Leaf Factory (BLF) owners in north Bengal, has voiced its concerns regarding the Tea Board’s recent directive mandating the closure of all tea factories by 2 December.

In a letter to the chairman of the Tea Board, the NBTPWA stated that the directive does not align with industry practices and poses challenges.

The president of NBTPWA, Sanjay Dhanotia, stated that this sudden decision is causing issues for factory owners in north Bengal.

Notably, the last date for plucking and receiving in Sikkim, Darjeeling Hills and Terai Dooars has been set for 30 November. Furthermore, all processing and sorting of green leaf must be completed by 2 December. Factories must also inform the Board about their closure by 3 December and complete all necessary tasks by 13 December for CTC tea and 18 December for orthodox and green tea.

However, Mr Dhanotia believes that this early closure is not a feasible solution as it will increase fixed costs and lead to further financial losses due to already existing crop shortages caused by weather conditions.

On the other hand, the NBTPWA secretary Neeraj Podder argues that the tea crop pattern in north Bengal is different from other tea-growing states and closing factories early will disrupt their harvest cycle, resulting in poorer quality crops.

They also mentioned that this issue was taken into account by TRA in their report on closing tea factories over the past few years.

Overall, they believe that closing factories on 30 November will only worsen the situation instead of promoting better quality crops as intended.

The NBTPWA acknowledged the Tea Board of India’s efforts to improve the quality of tea production, but argued that ending the harvest season early and limiting the growth of healthy crops will undermine its effectiveness.

They have asked the Tea Board to reconsider its directive and allow the BLF sector to continue operating until there is a sufficient supply of high-quality leaves from Small Tea Growers (STG).

It is important to note that BLFs rely on STGs supply.