El Niño casting a shadow over tea sector in Keralam as production declines

With El Niño affecting rainfall across Keralam, the tea sector in the State has seen declining output. According to plantation authorities, if the current low rainfall and drought-like conditions persist, it will continue to adversely affect the yields.

“Thousands of people depend, directly and indirectly, on income from the tea sector. If production drops further due to climate distress, it will severely affect estate operations,” said a local industry stakeholder.

According to data compiled by the United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) Tea Research Foundation, Keralam’s tea sector saw a 2% production drop during the eight-month period from January to August.

“During the same period in 2025, the total tea production was 31.274 million kg; this year, it fell to 30.624 million kg,” according to the data.

The report highlighted Wayanad as the worst-hit district, recording a 53% rainfall deficit through mid-September alongside an 8.11% decline in tea production between January and August. Average output in Wayanad fell from 1,233 kg per hectare in 2025 to 1,133 kg per hectare this year—a drop of 100 kg per hectare.

In Munnar, the yield rose slightly from 1,558 kg per hectare in 2025 to 1,578 kg per hectare this year. In Peerumade hills, the yield dropped from 1,091 kg per hectare in 2025 to 1,069 kg per hectare.

In Central Travancore, the average production fell by 3.8%, declining from 1,008 kg per hectare in 2025 to 970 kg per hectare this year.

Bucking the wider trend, Penshurst Estate in Wagamon recorded a 4.4% growth in output over the same period. Joshiba Joseph, manager of the estate, noted that productivity climbed from 2,149 kg per hectare in 2025 to 2,243 kg per hectare in 2026—an increase of 94 kg.

In Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, drought conditions lead to a 11.8% decline in yield, with average output sliding from 2,315 kg per hectare in 2023 to 2,042 kg per hectare in 2025, according to a report by UPASI.