Plucking of the Darjeeling first flush tea is likely to get delayed this year due to unfavourable weather conditions prevailing in the hills so far.
Plucking of the first flush crop in the Darjeeling hills, known as the world’s most expensive tea, generally starts in the middle of March and continues till the first week of May.
“The current weather condition is more or less dry in Darjeeling as rain has not been taking place in the hills currently. The temperature is below normal. Generally from March 14-15 plucking starts. But this year due to unfavourable weather conditions plucking may get delayed,” Chamong group chairman Ashok Kumar Lohia told businessline.
Below 6 mkg
The first flush crop in the Darjeeling hills constitutes around 20 per cent of the total production in the hill town in a calendar year. Because of its high quality and price, this premium tea accounts for around 40 per cent of annual revenue for Darjeeling tea producers.
The world-famous aromatic tea depends on rains and favourable weather for both quantity and quality of first flush, which marks the start of a new season.
Notably, the production of Darjeeling tea fell below 6 million kgs (mkg) last year, and it could be the lowest output in recent history. The production was hit hard by adverse weather conditions and falling demand.
Nepal competition
Darjeeling tea production stood at 5.60 mkg in 2024 compared to 6.01 mkg in 2023, according to Tea Board of India data.
According to industry insiders, competition from Nepal tea has lowered demand for Darjeeling tea in the domestic market. Traders are selling the cheap variety of tea grown in Nepal, which is up to 50 per cent less costly compared to the Darjeeling variety.
In the overseas markets, shipments of Darjeeling tea generally stand at around 3-3.25 million kgs annually. Europe and Japan are the two large overseas markets for this premium tea, the first product to get a geographical identification (GI) tag in India.