When Empire Thirst Met Monsoon Grace, a Leaf Was Born. Today, It Withers in the Shadow of a Fly.
India’s tea is not just a drink; it is a heritage. A steaming symbol of colonial ambition, postcolonial pride, and everyday comfort. Assam and Darjeeling, the two titanic pillars of this heritage, once flooded the world’s teacups with strength and aroma. Today, they are being crippled—not by war or policy—but by something no longer invisible: a green fly and an angry climate.
The lush, foggy slopes of Darjeeling and the sun-baked plains of Assam were once considered the hallowed grounds of the world’s finest tea. Generations of toil, science, and seasonal harmony built an empire of taste. But in 2024, the statistics are heartbreaking. According to the Tea Board of India, Darjeeling's production dropped to 6.6 million kilos—its lowest in memory. Assam, known for its more muscular and malty CTC blends, also faced a steep decline, from 688.3 million kilos in 2022 to 628.4 million kilos in 2024.
The culprit? A minuscule, sap-sucking green fly, no larger than a grain of rice. While once dismissed as a seasonal annoyance, this pest has evolved into a permanent crisis. Thanks to climate change, which has now decisively invaded the region’s ecological balance, these insects are thriving—surviving seasons where previously they perished.
Climate Change: The Invisible Catalyst
The rise of the green fly isn’t accidental; it is symptomatic. Over the last few years, tea plantations have experienced a bizarre combination of soaring temperatures, erratic rainfall, and prolonged dry spells. The India Meteorological Department confirmed that West Bengal saw 33 days in 2024 when the mercury crossed 40°C—a record-breaking number that disrupted plant growth and extended pest lifecycles.
These conditions have warped not just the physiology of tea bushes, but the very calendar of cultivation. Earlier, pests like the green fly were seasonal—appearing briefly in May and June. But now, they are perennially present, taking full advantage of confused monsoons and overheated soils. The pests damage young leaves and buds, drastically cutting yields and diminishing the quality of the brew. The result? A drop not just in quantity, but also in the global prestige of Indian tea.
A Systemic Decline Across Regions
Assam and West Bengal are seeing uniform distress. In the Dooars region alone, tea output dropped from 237 million kilos in 2023 to 209 million in 2024. West Bengal's overall production, which stood at 433.54 million kilos in 2023, fell to 373.48 million kilos this year.
These numbers are more than agricultural fluctuations—they represent economic and cultural loss. The decline in production has already started hurting small tea growers, estate owners, and export revenues. While exports from Assam and Darjeeling were once sought after in Europe, Japan, and the Gulf, buyers are now turning to newer markets like Kenya and Vietnam, where climate conditions remain more stable—for now.
Science Fights Back, But Is It Enough?
The Tea Research Association (TRA), India’s premier scientific body for tea, has started recommending the use of newer pesticides like Flonicamid and Pymetrozine to counter the green fly invasion. However, tea is a delicate crop. It absorbs the characteristics of its soil, water, and air—hence the famed concept of terroir in tea tasting. The overuse or misapplication of chemical interventions risks compromising flavor, safety, and export certifications.
Moreover, as pests evolve and climate chaos deepens, chemical resistance may soon render these interventions obsolete. A more sustainable, integrated pest management system is needed—one that considers ecological balance, promotes biodiversity, and adapts to changing climate patterns.
The Human Cost: Farmers and Labourers in Peril
Tea is also a livelihood. In Darjeeling alone, tens of thousands of workers depend on seasonal harvests. With plummeting yields and growing plant infections such as Fusarium blight, the workload increases but wages stagnate. Estate owners, caught between climate insurance, rising costs, and limited government support, have little to offer beyond temporary contracts and delayed payments.
Heman Barmay, chairman of the Indian Tea Association, says, “The climate has become very erratic. Pest attacks are no longer occasional—they are part of the new normal.” And this “new normal” spells chronic instability for India’s tea workforce, 60% of which is female and vulnerable to economic shocks.
A Crisis of Identity: What Happens to Darjeeling’s Brand?
Darjeeling tea is not just any tea—it’s a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. It enjoys the same status as Champagne or Parma ham. But as climate stress shifts harvesting schedules and pest outbreaks change the taste profile, even this protected brand is under threat.
Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, told the Lok Sabha that unless adaptive cultivation techniques are mainstreamed, India risks losing its long-standing dominance in the global tea market. Indeed, unless urgent steps are taken, the muscatel magic of Darjeeling may become a nostalgic memory.
Way Forward: Rethinking Cultivation and Conservation
India must act fast and on multiple fronts. This includes:
- Climate-Resilient Varieties: Breed and promote tea clones that can withstand temperature spikes, rainfall anomalies, and pest attacks.
- Agroforestry Integration: Introduce shade-giving trees that reduce temperature stress and increase biodiversity, making plantations less attractive to pests.
- Government-Industry Collaboration: Revamp subsidies to promote organic pesticides, water-efficient irrigation, and solar-powered drying units.
- Training for Tea Workers: Equip labourers with knowledge on pest identification, soil health, and climate adaptation techniques.
- Export Diversification: Boost marketing efforts in emerging markets and create new labels such as “Climate-Smart Darjeeling” to attract conscious consumers.
Between Memory and Mutation
India’s tea story has always been about balance—between rain and sun, yield and flavor, tradition and change. But today, that balance teeters dangerously. A 5mm insect has triggered a 500-year question: Can India’s most romantic beverage survive the wrath of climate change?
Assam and Darjeeling still hold the soil of resilience. But unless science, policy, and tradition converge soon, the song of the tea plucker may become a requiem. And the hills, once alive with the rustle of harvest and hope, may echo only the silence of lost aroma.