World-famous teas from India's rolling Darjeeling hills are facing an existential threat, as producers reeling from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and climate change struggle to stay afloat.Tea plants in Darjeeling district, a region that sprawls across several towns including its namesake, were first introduced by the British during its colonial rule to counter the growing dependence on Chinese tea.

Tea growers are grappling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the market, while also dealing with the effects of climate change, Agarwal said.Production of Darjeeling tea fell to 6.19 million kg by 2021, the lowest on record, according to data from India's Tea Board. Sandeep Mukherjee, principal advisor of the Darjeeling Tea Association, told Arab News that the "Prolonged Covid pandemic further eroded the market abroad and domestically, and now the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war is also being felt.""Darjeeling tea producers must also compete with tea from neighboring Nepal, which Mukherjee said is"being sold as Darjeeling tea," and "eroding the market and tarnishing the brand Darjeeling.

The Darjeeling district has 87 certified tea gardens, for which problems started in 2017 when the local Gurkha community went on a 100-day strike to demand a separate state within India to protect their Himalayan culture.