Demand for Darjeeling tea soars significantly

According to retailers the demand for Darjeeling tea has plunged 80-90% year-on-year, though the common black tea from Assam and Dooars has seen an uptick in domestic consumption. The reason for the former is that Covid-19 pandemic has put a stop to the evening tea parties in the upscale locales of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Another reason for this is that while Darjeeling tea sells for Rs 1,000-1,200 per kg, the common black tea costs just Rs 250-400.

The fact that many tea lounges and cafes have not started functioning fully across the country, which too has impacted consumption of Darjeeling tea in the local market. Further, the pandemic has hit the income of the middle class, who had developed a taste for Darjeeling tea over the years, for occasional purposes. This has also impacted the demand for the commodity. “Disruption in the supply chain is also a reason for the drop in domestic consumption of Darjeeling tea,” added Viren Shah, chairman, Federation of All India Tea Traders Association.