Tea Plucking season — the most awaited season, for not only for the tourists but also the local people has begun at Palampur, 35 km from here. Tea gardens have come alive with the pluckers hanging baskets on their backs and collecting fresh tea leaves from the flush green gardens.
However, what has come as a dampener for the tea growers is the shortage of labour. Ever since MNREGA started, there has been a considerable downfall in labourers, hitting tea production here.
Director of the Institute of bio source technology, Parmveer Ahuja said that shortage of labour is the main difficulty being faced by tea growers here but added that this could be met by the use of machines. But as this is the first phase of plucking which is considered to be collection of finest quality of tea, it needs to be plucked by hand.
“As this is the first phase of the tea plucking and leaves are of finest quality, it needs to be plucked by hand. We have produced various drinks based on tea which are about to be launched” he said. Institute is also working on Tea wine and other products which are said to be good for health.
However, faced with labour shortage, tea growers in Kangra have also sought inclusion of cultivation of this tea variety in the MGNREGA program as part of efforts to revive the industry in the State.
Kangra tea, which was once a major exporting item to Pakistan and Afghanistan, among other nations, has seen gradual decline in market share and productivity in recent years due to traditional mode of cultivation and labour problems.
According to the Tea Board, gardens in the hill state have been managed poorly, which has led to the industry falling behind that of Assam and Darjeeling.
Horticulture experts say tea production in Kangra has seen a drastic fall in the past 15 years. Kangra produced 1,78,391 kg of green tea and 6,71,911 kg of orthodox tea in 2008-09. The tea production in the state for 2009-10 was pegged around 8.5 lakh kg. In the 2010-11 fiscal year, estimated production of Kangra tea is 8.84 lakh kg.
According to a survey, area under cultivation was pegged at 2,313 hectares which had decreased after illegal sale of some of the tea gardens.