Whe tea was first planted in Darjeeling around 1852 by the British, the Darjeeling hills where covered with dense forest. The pioneers, while clearing the forest for opening tea planations saw to it that some balance was maintained in the eco-system. Accordingly, for every 100 hectares of land, tea was planted out in only 40 hecs, leaving 40 hectare of undisturbed forest and balance 20 hectares was put under thatch and bamboo baris and also used for building workers quarters and other infrastructure. These little "jungles" in each tea garden, were properly guarded and well maintained by the planter, who took the same care of his forest as he did of his plantations. About 90% of the 20000 hectares under tea in Darjeeling was planted during this period - between 1852-1875.
After independence, the state gouvernment brought out legislation, declaring most of these "jungle" areas as surplus, not required by the tea estates, but were resumed as before without creating any infrastructure to guard and maintain them. Soon they became no man's land and the forests were destroyed and the land was encroached upon. Next it was the turn of the beautyfull shade canopies to be destroyed and by the late sixties the tea gardens were virtually denuded, resulting in the destruction of flora and fauna, besides continuous soil erosion causing heavy landslides.
Perennial plants like tea and coffee, if raised in proper soil and climatic conditions, are able to grow and produce naturally. The tea plant is able to absorb natural nutrients from the soil and survive without any external addition of artificial nutrients. There are enough nutrients available in the soil to allow growth and production.these nutrients are released, used and then recycled in the eco-system. The soil in combination with the climate has a certain natural biomass production capacity, which is optimal in the original jungle situation, where vegetation and utilisation of the nutrient volume is at its peak. Thus it was this virgin soil with rich natural nutrients that had supported Darjeeling tea plantations for over 130 years.
With te advent of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides in the late fifties and sixties. the changes in agricultural practices also started in the tea plantations. Darjeeling planters, who are quite conservative, were hestitant and slow initially, to adapt to this change over, but ultimately due to economic compulsion and aggressive marketing by the manufacturers of these chemical and fertilisers, succumbed to the pressures and accepted these changes.
However, inspite of continuous use of chemical vertilisers, weedicines and pesticides for the past three and a half decades, it is surprising that the crop and yield has remained static in Darjeeling, while in the adjoining Dooars/Terai Arena it went up substantially.
Thus the logical conclusion would be that use of chemicals and artificial pesticides in Darjeeling have had no effect towards increasing the crop.
So it now seems the tea industry in Darjeeling has reached a stage where there appears to be no other alternative than to swich over to the organic system of cultivation and improve the soil structure, re-establish the shade, replant the forest and fully restore the balance in the eco-system.
It is undisputed fact that organic agriculture must reach an economically viable threshold, else it would not make any sense. Management skill and experience are the key factors for success. Most of the present generations of tea planters do not have much experience with organic cultivation. As such, there is a general belief that organic cultivation means simply discontinuation of the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Undoubtely, organic production standarts prohibit the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. However, organic agriculture is much more than just the use of ancient production methods and extensified low yielding farming.
Organic farming asks for eco-management, i.e. the maximum consideration of ecological aspects, in combination with the development of an agro system of the tea gardens. Primary aim of organic farming is the long term substainability of the soil fertility and the overall productivity of the agro system involved. Therefore the simple replacement of chemical by so called "organic pesticides" is only a part of the solution; a first step towards the neccessary archivement of ecological equilibrium.
In the late eighties it was observed that resistance was building up in Germany towards the high pesticide residue levels in tea and there was a demand for setting out standarts for maximum residue levels acceptable. This was a direct fall out of the Chernobyl disaster, after which extensive analysis of food products was regularly carried out. Infact, in 1993 and 1994 some consignments of the prestigious Darjeeling First Flush, were rejected on arrival in Germany, due to high pesticide residue.
A few Darjeeling planters too responded to this growing demand for "bio-tea" and started converting their gardens into the organic system. Today, there are 9 gardens in Darjeeling, 3 in Assam, one in Dooars and two in South India who have switched to full scaleorganic cultivation. There is no denying the fact that organic agriculture has come to stay in Darjeeling and is its future.