The world faces a shortage of prized Darjeeling tea because of deadly unrest in the idyllic Indian Himalayan foothills where it is grown. In the dozens of lush green plantations across the picturesque hill station, the June-August harvest season normally provides the bulk of the nearly 8 million kilos of tea sold a year - most of which goes to Europe. But with a showdown between native Gorkhas, who provide the majority of plantation workers, and the West Bengal government now 50 days old, production fell by 90% in June. Tourism has also been badly hit by the dispute in which the main Gorkha group has halted harvesting and called for a shutdown of the tea industry. There have been predictions that prices could rise more than 20% and some Darjeeling tea gardens could take years to recover. "This year's harvest is lost," said Sanjay Mittal, director of Ambiok Tea estate, adding that "if the stalemate ends we hope to return next year". But Ankit Lochan, president of the Siliguri Tea Tra...
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