Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla raised serious concerns in the Rajya Sabha over the growing crisis in India’s tea sector, particularly affecting Darjeeling and the North-East. Speaking during Zero Hour, he said more than one million workers depend directly on tea employment and nearly six million people rely on the sector for livelihood, making the matter urgent for the country.
He noted that the crisis has been shaped by several issues such as climate change, declining forest cover, labour shortages, production instability and rising imports of low-quality teas. Imports from African countries and Nepal have reportedly increased by 45 percent in the first half of 2025, impacting the global value of Darjeeling tea.
Shringla urged the government to intervene strongly by regulating imports and protecting premium GI-tagged teas from regions like Darjeeling, Assam and the Nilgiris. He also pressed for community-based livelihood options for tea workers to strengthen resilience. The MP highlighted that Darjeeling’s tea output has dropped from 14 million kg in the 1970s to just 5.51 million kg in 2024. He called the situation a structural decline that could threaten heritage and long-term sustainability unless corrective action is taken quickly.