Coimbatore: Uncertainty looms among the tea estate workers in Valparai after an infestation caused by an unidentified type of mosquito has wreaked havoc in the hilly terrain's tea estates.
Coimbatore: Uncertainty looms among the tea estate workers in Valparai after an infestation caused by an unidentified type of mosquito has wreaked havoc in the hilly terrain's tea estates.
The infestation has led to decreased production and employment, lament the estate workers who are clueless of combating the menace.
The research centre at United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPSAI), the apex body of planters of tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom and pepper in the Southern States of India are analysing the situation to propose preventive measures. Meanwhile, the estate owners and the workers are left in distress as the infestation has been spreading fast.
The infestation has caused the tea leaves wilt and decay. The infected plants are quarantined by covering them with red sarees and clothes, told the tea estate workers.
More than 25,000 hectares of land in Valparai is under tea plantation and 60,000 men and women are totally dependent on the estates for their livelihood.
The infestation has led to decreased production and employment, lament the estate workers who are clueless of combating the menace.
The research centre at United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPSAI), the apex body of planters of tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom and pepper in the Southern States of India are analysing the situation to propose preventive measures. Meanwhile, the estate owners and the workers are left in distress as the infestation has been spreading fast.
The infestation has caused the tea leaves wilt and decay. The infected plants are quarantined by covering them with red sarees and clothes, told the tea estate workers.
More than 25,000 hectares of land in Valparai is under tea plantation and 60,000 men and women are totally dependent on the estates for their livelihood.