AGARTALA, May 12 (TIWN): Tripura tea workers union under the banner of CITU will organize one day long cease work on May 25 if their wages are not increased.

Speaking with the media persons at CITU office leaders of Tripura tea workers union said that the tea industry has been suffering since 2006. All water sources in gardens have got exhausted while irrigation is also not possible at present and thus young tea plants and matured bushes are dying. Nursery plants are now almost dead for want of water. The industry suffers because of old age of tea bushes, high percentage of vacancy ration, lack of internal generation of fund and low productivity level with depressed tea market and thus gardens are facing heavy cash crunch almost every year.

The State produces on an average 9.5 million kg annually. There are 57 tea estates in Tripura out of which 20 have tea factories. Rest are small, marginal and weak and surviving by selling green leaf to the gardens having tea factories. Around 20,000 workers are directly involved in tea cultivation in the land­locked State. “Tea price is falling with every passing day. The scope of tea export is reducing rapidly. Tripura tea has no logo so far causing problem for tea planters to get reasonable price at the auction markets, the union leaders pointed out.