Tea is perhaps the world’s favourite beverage, but for the women who harvest its leaves in North Bengal, the work has become a test of endurance — against a sun that scorches harder, rains that come in bursts and wages that refuse to grow.
Lakshmi Kujur has no alternative. To support her family, she plucks tea leaves at the Mohurgong and Gulma tea estate, located near the Sukna forest bungalow, about 14 kilometres from Siliguri in West Bengal.
Life is not easy. Leopards are often spotted in the gardens and there have been incidents of attacks on women pluckers. Kujur and her co-workers also endure harsh heat, which has intensified in recent years.
Women workers pluck tea for nearly nine months each year. During the lean season, they engage in soil digging, garden cleaning and clearing piles of dry leaves.
“There is no shade in the gardens. I can feel that summers have become hotter. Plucking during April and May takes a toll on our health. Sometimes, I get headaches or vomit due to the heat, but I have to carry on,” said Kujur, who has lost her husband.
Though drinking water is available, Gautam Ghosh from the Darjeeling District Chiya Kaman Mazdoor Union pointed out that extreme working conditions were not limited to women. “Sometimes, children are hung in cloth cradles tied to tree branches because there is no crèche facility,” said Ghosh, who is based in Naxalbari, the town that witnessed the birth of India’s Maoist insurgency in the 1970s.
At the end of a workday, Kujur earns only Rs 250. “There was talk about increasing wages in 2015. It should be at least Rs 600 a day,” Ghosh added.
Climate change is clearly affecting North Bengal’s tea industry, contributing to falling yields and deteriorating quality.
“Rainfall patterns have become erratic across the region. The distribution during the monsoon is no longer uniform. Even if the total rainfall remains the same, it now occurs in short, intense bursts rather than being spread out,” said Jaideep Singh, superintendent manager of Rungamatee tea garden in Malbazaar, Jalpaiguri district. Singh joined the garden in January 2024 and had earlier worked there between March 2019 and November 2020.
He added that prolonged dry spells were worsening the situation. The cold weather season, typically from November to March, has become bone dry. Two decades ago, these months would see some rainfall.
Rungamatee is part of Amalgamated Plantations, which operates in 21 gardens in Assam and four in the Dooars region of West Bengal. “Last year, both Darjeeling and Assam suffered. Yields dropped and so did the quality. The flavour and aroma of tea were affected,” Singh said.
Climate change also impacts the health of tea bushes, increasing their susceptibility to pests and diseases. Shaibal Dutt, managing director and chief executive office of Goodricke Group, called for afforestation, organic compost use and the creation of water bodies to improve microclimates.
Jalpaiguri-based small tea grower Rajesh Roy confirmed that pest attacks had become more frequent. “Many of us use chemical sprays because herbal alternatives are expensive. Big gardens can afford them as they sell tea at Rs 80-90 per kilogramme. I sell mine at Rs 35,” he said. A litre of herbal spray costs around Rs 3,000, while chemical options range between Rs 700 and Rs 800.
Water availability remains a concern, even with relatively young tea bushes. “We need seasonal showers in February and March. If the rainfall is inadequate, the soil dries up and the groundwater table drops,” he said. Pumps are used to draw water for paddy, but sudden heavy rain damages other crops like potatoes.
Some tea estates have adopted sustainable practices. Makaibari, for instance, has gone fully organic. “We are trying to tackle declining yields. Tea is a rain-fed crop and needs the right amount of rain and temperature. Last year, the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius for several days,” said Sanjay Das, the garden’s manager.
Das noted that Makaibari had been using soil conservation methods such as mulching for over five decades. Intercropping with legumes also helped prevent soil erosion during sudden downpours.
Mihir Gandhi, founder of Kolkata-based B2B platform Cuppa Trade, observed that despite being the second-most consumed beverage globally after water, tea is often neglected. “It is the largest employer of women labourers, yet we see little policy or market support,” he said.
He added that tea producers needed funding to address climate challenges. “There is either too much rain or extended dry spells. Soil degradation is increasing and many farmers don’t use the right pesticides or fertilisers —they just ask around,” he added.
Darjeeling’s tea production has dropped from 12 million kilogrammes to six million in just a decade. Gandhi believes better marketing, like in the case of coffee, can help. “We urge growers to cut chemical pesticide use and also explore intercropping with pepper and dragon fruit.”
As tea gardens struggle against a changing climate, the frequency of human-wildlife conflict is ever present. While leopards use tea gardens as cover, shifting weather patterns appear to be altering their movement.
Kujur recalled how her friend, Poonam Oraon, was hospitalised for a month following a leopard attack in August 2023. “We used whistles to scare the animal away, but that time, despite our efforts, my friend was injured. It happened in the afternoon. Some workers fled in panic, while others managed to chase the leopard away.”
Climate change and unresolved labour issues are pushing some tea gardens towards closure. In some areas, workers have tried to manage abandoned gardens on their own, selling plucked leaves to survive. But without institutional support, many families remained vulnerable, especially women.