EXTREME WEATHER THREATENS INDIA'S TEA PRODUCTION|洪災釀減收 印度茶葉產業損失慘重

India is the second largest producer of TEA in the world after China. However, India's tea industry is facing a major setback due to soil erosion after heavy rainfall and flooding. Tea production dropped by nearly 25 percent in July. Excessive soil erosion is affecting tea plantations in India's eastern state of West Bengal. As a result, the industry is facing a major setback. Torrential rains have led to an increase in water-level in regional rivers, leading to a loss of land. == SUMIT GHOSH, Secretary, Terai Indian Planters Association== The grave problem for tea gardens is soil erosion. And the biggest problem of erosion is due to the rivers which flow nearby. Reportedly, the region recorded maximum amount of downpour in the last 20 years. Flood water entered many tea estates and even black tea factories. India's tea production dropped by nearly 20-25 percent in July compared to last year. == ANKIT LOCHAN, tea industrialist, Siliguri, West Bengal== Plantations cannot take place in the absence of river as it can only take place near the banks. So, as there are no embankments or boundaries to favor these plantations, a large area of land is being lost from years and is being eroded into the water. India is the world's second largest producer of tea. There are about 170,000 hectares of land under tea cultivation. The average production of tea is 980 million kilograms per year. However, the backbone of the nation's economy is now threatened. Extreme weather has affected almost 4 million workers' livelihood in the tea industry. TRANSLATED BY：SASHA CHIU & JEFF CHANG 印度是世界最大的茶葉生產國家,但近幾年印度暴雨不停，茶園土壤流失嚴重，連帶影響收成，光是今年七月，茶葉產量就減少了兩成以上。 黃色泥水緩緩流動，一旁的土坡，明顯留下沖刷痕跡，土坡上方的茶樹，有些還滑下來，青蔥的綠色夾在黃土層中特別顯眼。印尼西孟加拉省，以茶業產業著名，但過去幾年的豪雨，讓河川水位不斷上升，危及當地茶葉產業。 ==印度茶業種植協會秘書長 蘇米特== 最大的侵蝕問題來自於臨近河川 如大家所知的 河川路線在轉彎時 會帶走土 造成侵蝕狀況 根據印度經濟時報報導，因為受到洪災，印度七月份的茶葉產量，跟過去相比，減少至少兩成，茶園跟茶業工廠損失嚴重。另外，洪水消退之後，還常常有病蟲侵害，進一步影響了茶產量。 ==茶葉實業家 安吉德羅晨== 這些茶樹園不能在 缺乏河川的地方生長 所以它們只能栽種在河岸邊 所以當沒有提防或邊界 可以保護這些植物 河岸相當大範圍的土地 就會遭到水的侵蝕流失 由於印度是世界茶葉最大生產國家，茶園佔地約17萬公頃，每年平均生產茶葉9.8億公斤，全國有超過400萬名工人，都在茶園工作，如果無法解決茶園土壤流失的問題，除了茶葉品質受影響，產量驟降之外，也將影響當地民眾生計。 記者 陳詩童 報導