Archive - Jun 23, 2008
Unrest Boils in India’s Darjeeling Tea Gardens
One of India's most famous exports, Darjeeling tea, is under threat from an indefinite strike by an ethnic Nepalese Gorkhas demanding greater autonomy in the region.
Protesters clashed with police last week, disrupting transport links, blocking road access, and shutting down many businesses in the Darjeeling hills, home to hundreds of tea gardens that produce the world-famous tea.
The crisis comes at a critical peak period for plucking highly priced "second flush" tea leaves. According to Siliguri Tea Traders Association's secretary, the unrest has caused the country's tea industry to lose the equivalent of $470,000 a day.
The Gorkhas are fighting for a separate state in West Bengal. They claim that the Indian government discriminates against them, and that they don't receive the services and infrastructure they deserve.
But while local tea exporters are becoming increasingly worried, those hardest hit by the shutdown are the tens of thousands of workers and their families whose economic wellbeing depend on the tea gardens. According to NDTV, "the shutdown means uncertainty for over 50,000 permanent workers in the tea gardens, and no wages for around 100,000 temporary workers."
Government officials are hesistant to grant the Gorkhas autonomy because they fear losing control of one of their prized exports. But the unrest threatens the tea industry's health, which is why West Bengal officials are said to be "keen" on talks to resolve the issue.
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