Tea industry will see up to 35% decline in output following Ditwah disaster

• Attributes expected drop to damaged plantations and low worker turnout from estates that are unaffected 
• Says sector is in crisis mode 
• Says government has committed to help plantation sector

By Shannine Daniel
Due to the unprecedented effects of Cyclone Ditwah, the tea industry is foreseeing around 30 percent to 35 percent of ‘crop drop’, veteran planter Roshan Rajadurai exclusively told Mirror Business. 
He said this was due to the severe weather conditions that had devastated the Central province’s plantation sector as well as the low turnout of workers at estates that were not affected. 
Rajadurai said that the sector is in crisis mode and even though it anticipates severe weather every year, the scale of damage, destruction and loss of lives from this disaster is unprecedented. 
Despite the flood waters receding, the Central province still faces risks of landslides and rockfalls and according to Rajadurai, due to the loss of communication in many areas, it is difficult to obtain the correct number of lives lost as well as other vital information. 
Moreover, as of Tuesday, electricity was yet to be restored to certain areas and the estates are also facing shortages of vital necessities such as food, medicine, firewood and fuel. 
Rajadurai added that in the Central province, many main roads as well as smaller roads within the towns and estates have been damaged or destroyed by the landslides.
This lack of mobility will affect the plantations as their produce cannot be transported to the lower country areas and inputs such as fertiliser cannot be transported to the plantations. 
According to the UN relief coordination office, roughly around 100,000 people have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah, with the death toll rising to 366 lives.
Thousands of houses, roads and infrastructure have been destroyed or badly damaged by the disaster and many plantation workers have lost their homes and have been displaced. 
“Our workers are also still in shock, due to the impact of this disaster. Many of them will need time, at least until the end of this week, to report to work,” Rajadurai said, adding that the estate personnel have relied on schools and other buildings as emergency shelters to house those affected by the adverse weather. 
Rajadurai noted that the government has committed to help the plantation sector but he also pointed out that the authorities would be overburdened with the restoration activities and it would take some time before they can support the industry.