Mrittika Harvest Updates

Watch Video North Bengal's Next Big Shift: From Tea and Jute to a Spice Hub? For generations, North Bengal has worn two identities with pride — the rolling green tea gardens and the sprawling jute fields. But a fresh announcement in the West Bengal Budget 2026 could add a third chapter to that story: a dedicated Spice Hub for the region. What's Been Announced The West Bengal government's 2026-27 Budget has proposed setting up a spice hub in North Bengal, aimed at organizing local spice farming, improving processing infrastructure, and opening up new export opportunities for the region's growers. Alongside this, the budget also brought good news for potato farmers: An extra ₹200 per quintal on procurement price A 35% subsidy on building cold storage and packing centres, backed by a ₹100 crore allocation A separate ₹100 crore earmarked for supplying high-quality seeds to farmers The Numbers Behind the Announcement West Bengal's ginger production...

 North Bengal Tea Crisis 2026: How a Banned Pesticide Halted Leaf Purchases for 50,000 Small Growers On July 27, 2026, roughly 274 bought-leaf factories across North Bengal made a decision that sent shockwaves through the region's tea economy: they stopped purchasing green tea leaf from small growers without a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) compliance report from an accredited laboratory. For an industry where small tea growers supply nearly 70% of North Bengal's total tea production, this wasn't a minor administrative change. It was, for many growers, an overnight loss of income with no clear path back. Watch Full Video The Chemical Behind the Crisis The trigger was Monocrotophos, a highly hazardous organophosphate pesticide. It was banned by the FSSAI in 2024, with an official gazette notification following in September 2025. The chemical is banned in over 112 countries due to its severe toxicity to humans — yet it remains available in India's open market, and a section ...

On July 27, 2026, roughly 274 bought-leaf factories across North Bengal made a decision that sent shockwaves through the region's tea economy: they stopped purchasing green tea leaf from small growers without a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) compliance report from an accredited laboratory. For an industry where small tea growers supply nearly 70% of North Bengal's total tea production, this wasn't a minor administrative change. It was, for many growers, an overnight loss of income with no clear path back. The Chemical Behind the Crisis The trigger was Monocrotophos, a highly hazardous organophosphate pesticide. It was banned by the FSSAI in 2024, with an official gazette notification following in September 2025. The chemical is banned in over 112 countries due to its severe toxicity to humans — yet it remains available in India's open market, and a section of growers reportedly continue using it to control pests like the tea mosquito bug. Why the Factories Acted The immedi...

 India's government recently informed Parliament that the country's urea availability for the Kharif 2026 season stands at 163.78 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), against a requirement of just 109.40 LMT. On paper, that's a surplus of nearly 48% — a reassuring number for a country that has historically struggled with seasonal urea shortages and black-marketing at the dealer level. But a closer look at how this urea is actually produced reveals a supply chain vulnerability that the surplus figure alone doesn't capture. How Urea Is Actually Made — And Why That Matters Urea production follows a simple industrial chain: natural gas is converted into ammonia, which is then processed into urea. Natural gas isn't a minor input in this process — it accounts for a substantial share of total production cost. This means India's urea security is only as strong as its natural gas security. The Domestic Gas Production Problem According to the International Energy Agency's Q...