Thank you to all those who called to ask us about our family. Yes, our family is safe and sound. We had a bit of a scare - my nephew was stuck in a school bus as the water started rising, but one of our neighbors saw him and took him to safety.
Our family lives in Mumbai, and the city had the worst rains of 100 years! Apparently it rained 37 inches in 24 hours! There have been over 400 deaths in western India, with thousands of people loosing their homes. Land slides, mudslides have taken a toll on the poor who had little to begin with. But the government is stepping in to provide health services. It remains to be seen what the long term impact of these rains will be on the economy, but so far the business seems to be at a standstill.
The tea strike of the workers of West Bengal (where the Darjeeling tea comes from) has ended amicably with both sides getting part of what they were looking for. The workers received increased wage benefits, while the plantation owners received productivity guarantees not previously known. There is some disappointment that the productivity of the Indian tea plucker is less than the standard set by African and South Asian pluckers. Still, the remarkable agreement is a harbinger of better productivity in the tea industry that might benefit all involved.
Click Here to read more about the agreement.
BBC News reports that the negotiations between the strinking workers and the Tea Garden owners in West Bengal, mainly Darjeeling might be nearing an end. The workers have agreed to a guaranteed wage increase for the next three years, and now the negotiators are discussing when these new wages go into effect.
Click here for more details.
The Hindu reports that the import of substandard tea into India has increaed significantly in 2004-5 time frame, which has the policy makers worried. Just look at the latest figures of tea imports into india.
So why should American consumer care? Because we are the consumers of much of the tea that comes from India. If Indian tea is mixed with the substandard tea and imported into US, it would be impossible for the consumer to know about it. Fortunately, the Jaya Teas patrons need not worry about this because most of our purchases happen directly from the estates, and our teas are hand selected by our family members. As a result, you are going to get only the best tea from us!!
No risk of receiving adulturated tea from Jaya Teas.
Here is the main article published in The Hindu.
Just read about a tea related event at the Idaho Botanical Gardens, on the Tea Swap Blog. You can check out the details about the event on the TSB, or on the Idaho Botanical Gardens website. Here are just the cursory details:
Event: Imperial Tea, The Full Treatment, by Toni Hodges
When: July 26, 7pm.
Price of admission: $30 for members, and $35 for non members
Tea workers in the state of West Bengal (where Darjeeling tea gardens exist) have gone on an indefinite strike. The workers are demanding better pay and perks, and say that they won’t budge until their demands are met. There are about 350 tea gardens in West Bengal, and as a result of the strike the price of Darjeeling tea is likely to shoot up dramatically. The strike is said to be costing the tea industry losses to the tune of $2.3 million per day.
Here is a
