India’s tea industry is facing a difficult combination of changing weather conditions and long-standing economic pressures. In major tea-growing regions such as Assam and West Bengal, changes in temperature, rainfall and extreme-weather patterns are adding another challenge for plantations already dealing with production costs and market pressures.
The scale of the industry makes the issue significant. India produced 1,382.74 million kg of tea in FY2025-26, according to data cited by the India Brand Equity Foundation. Official government data also shows the importance of Assam and West Bengal: in 2025, Assam produced 687.76 million kg, while West Bengal produced 411.18 million kg.
Rising Temperatures Are a Concern for Tea Growers
Tea cultivation depends heavily on temperature, rainfall and soil moisture. Research institutions working with the tea industry have been studying how changing climatic conditions affect both productivity and quality.
The Tocklai Tea Research Institute has highlighted temperature stress as an important concern for tea plantations. The institute has reported that tea yields can decline when average temperatures move beyond the range considered suitable for optimal growth.
Changing rainfall is another challenge. Heavy rainfall over a short period can create drainage and waterlogging problems, while prolonged dry periods can reduce soil moisture. For plantations dependent on natural rainfall, increasingly uneven weather can make crop management more difficult.
Recent research also points to the wider climate challenge facing plantation crops. A 2026 study published by Frontiers noted that rising temperatures and uneven rainfall patterns are changing conditions for tea cultivation in regions including Assam and West Bengal.
Darjeeling Tea Shows the Pressure
Darjeeling provides one of the clearest examples of the difficulties facing India’s premium tea sector.
The Indian Tea Association has reported that Darjeeling tea production fell from 14.49 million kg in 1990 to around 5.6 million kg in 2025. That represents a decline of approximately 61% over the period.
The decline should not be attributed to climate change alone. The Darjeeling tea industry is also dealing with ageing plantations, rising operating costs, labour-related challenges and market pressures.
The Indian Tea Association has identified climate-related changes as one of the factors affecting the region’s long-term production environment. Its assessment points to changes in temperature and rainfall as additional pressures on tea plantations.
This distinction matters. A fall in production is a measurable outcome; identifying its causes requires looking at several factors rather than assigning the entire decline to climate change.
The Economics of Tea Are Changing
Climate pressure is arriving at a time when tea plantations are already facing higher operating costs.
In August 2026, the Indian Tea Association sought an annual support package of about ₹113 crore from the West Bengal government for the Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai tea sectors. The association cited declining production, ageing plantations, rising costs and market pressures among the industry’s concerns.
The proposed package is an industry demand, not government-approved financial support.
The distinction is important because the future of the tea industry depends not only on weather resilience but also on whether plantations can remain economically viable.
Assam Faces Its Own Climate Challenges
The pressure is not limited to Darjeeling.
Assam remains India’s largest tea-producing state. Government data shows that Assam produced 687.76 million kg of tea in 2025, accounting for about half of India’s production that year.
Tea plantations in Assam are also exposed to heavy rainfall, flooding, heat and periods of inadequate moisture. Such weather conditions can affect plantation operations and crop growth.
For tea growers, the challenge is therefore not simply whether a particular year is hotter or wetter. The larger concern is increasing variability and the need to manage water, soil and plantation conditions under changing weather patterns.
Adaptation Is Becoming More Important
Tea research institutions have been examining several measures that can help plantations respond to climate variability. These include better water management, rainwater harvesting, improved drainage, soil-moisture conservation, shade management and the development or use of climate-resilient planting material.
Such measures cannot eliminate weather-related risks, but they can help plantations manage them more effectively.
Technology can also play a role. Weather-based advisories, improved monitoring and more efficient irrigation can help growers make decisions around irrigation, drainage and field operations.
A Challenge for a Major Agricultural Industry
India’s tea industry is large enough that climate-related production pressures have implications beyond individual plantations. They can affect workers, regional economies, domestic supply and export markets.
But the current evidence points to a multi-factor challenge rather than a single climate-driven crisis. Weather variability is one pressure. Rising costs, ageing plantations, labour issues and market conditions are others.
India’s tea industry is entering a period in which climate resilience and economic sustainability are becoming closely connected.
Darjeeling’s long-term production decline highlights the vulnerability of a premium tea-growing region, while Assam’s scale shows why changes affecting tea cultivation matter to India’s wider agricultural economy.
The response will require more than climate adaptation alone. Better water management, research, technology, plantation investment and stronger economics will all be important if India’s tea-growing regions are to remain productive in a changing climate.
