India, June 23 -- As a brand created by early British planters, Darjeeling, in the Eastern Himalayan region, is famous for tea and has earned a geographical indication (GI) tag in short, for it.

But the closure of several tea gardens in the Northern Bengal region (Terai, Dooars and Darjeeling), around 40 in total, is impacting the industry. To an extent, it is due to climate change impacts. Driven by erratic rainfall and temperature changes, Darjeeling's tea production dropped to six million kilogrammes in 2024 from 12 million kilogrammes. This happened within just ten years.

In such a situation, Nepal is being viewed as a competitor, putting Darjeeling's tea legacy in a tight spot. A source, who did not wish to be named, claimed that d...