Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1483499
26 STiR coffee and tea | 2022 Issue 5 (October/November) D By Aravinda Anantharanam arjeeling made the news in September, unfortunately, in reports that nearly 50% of the tea gardens here were up for sale. Many estates were said to be bankrupt. This alarming development at one of the crown jewels of Indian tea origins capped a spate of problems. Among its many long-standing vulnerabilities, Darjeeling's tea industry has for years been dogged by low yields, high cost of production, loss of mar- kets, and encroaching climate change. Covid posed a new threat. And the marketplace integrity and selling price of the origin itself came under pressure recently as unscrupulous merchants bought inexpen- sive Nepal tea, blended it with Darjeeling, and resold it in low-cost blends under the Darjeeling name. A ban on this practice backfired when big brands shunned Darjeeling altogether to avoid problems, leaving months of unsold lots. Is all hope lost? Not just yet, perhaps. If Darjeeling's tea industry can pull together as a group and work hard as individual stakeholders, there are at least 10 potential strat- egies and tactics for restoring the origin's glory. Place of origin In 2004, Darjeeling tea became the first Indian produce of any kind to win official Geographical Indication (GI) thanks to a decade of lobbying by producers, first in India itself, and in 2011 in the European Union. Today, 87 tea gardens have the right to use the Darjeeling tea GI logo. Wait! It's Not Too Late for Darjeeling! Crisis confronts the industry behind one of the world's great tea origins. We humbly suggest solutions. Gopaldhara Tea Estate's efforts to stay competitive include replanting and selling direct to consumers online. Courtesy: Gopaldhara Tea Estate Makaibari Tea Estate taps tourism support. Courtesy: Makaibari Tea Estate