Tea industry shutdown puts 60,000 workers at risk after India tightens export rules

More than 80 factories and estates in Jhapa and Ilam remain closed, pushing daily wage workers into an immediate income and livelihood crisis.

The tea-harvesting season in Jhapa’s Giribandhu Tea Estate usually begins with activity from dawn. Workers move through the fields plucking fresh green shoots as the estate echoes with chatter and routine movement. This year, the gardens are silent.