KOLKATA: Tea gardens in West Bengal reported almost 100 per cent attendance of workforce on Monday, an official of the Tea Association of India (TAI) said.
The state government had allowed 100 per cent deployment of workforce in the tea gardens from Monday.
Earlier, it had allowed 25 per cent workforce deployment to conduct skiffing activity and then 50 per cent to start plucking operations.
"There is almost 100 per cent attendance in the tea gardens in West Bengal. The attendance is good," TAI president Raj Bansal told PTI.
Rudra Chatterjee, MD of Luxmi Tea, which owns the famous Makaibari estate, also said all its workers have turned up on Monday.
Bansal said full deployment of workforce is extremely essential for the second flush.
He said it is easier to maintain social distancing norms in tea gardens.
The TAI official said due to the lockdown, the entire May crop is lost, and that there will be an overall shortfall in production for the full year.
"We expect a good second flush, and hopefully will be able to recover the crop losss to some extent," he added.