The popular hill station of Munnar, nestled in Kerala, is renowned for its tea plantation. However, the greenery of the hill station is under threat due to frost and cold weather persisting since Sunday.
The unprecedented mercury dip since Sunday in Munnar has affected the tea production. The weather in Munnar is moderate and pleasant throughout the year. The average maximum temperature is 20°C with minimum temperature during night varying from 10°C to 0°C.
Though, the cold spell which has pulled the minimum temperatures below normal has affected large tracts of tea plantation area. With temperatures falling as low as -2°C, tea production of about 7 lakh kg in 400 hectares of area has been affected.
Munnar contributes half to Kerala’s total tea production of 63 million kg. The production is expected to be hit further with a drop of almost 10-15% during the present quarter of January to March.
Night temperature is crucial for tea leaves. Thin layers of frost, due to severe cold condition, settle down on tea leaves that only melt in the early morning sun light.
Usually, extreme cold conditions in Munnar set in by the middle of December and lasts till middle of January. However, sometimes they come in early and extend up to February.
