Nilgiris: For the first time in the history of the Nilgiris, severe heatwave and drought conditions attributed to El Nino have led to a sharp decline in the supply of green tea leaves to tea factories, raising concerns over a major impact on tea powder production and the livelihoods of tea farmers and workers.
The Nilgiris district, popularly known as the "Queen of Hills," has tea cultivation as one of the backbones of its local economy. More than 65,000 small and marginal farmers are engaged in tea cultivation across several hectares in the district.
