Guwahati, July 27 -- Assam is facing a major agricultural crisis as a 25% drop in tea production and severe damage to paddy cultivation threaten the livelihoods of lakhs of farmers.

This alarming situation, caused by parched weather and poor monsoon rains, has drawn national and international concern.

According to the Tea Board of India, Assam's tea gardens have produced just 68 million kilograms of tea from January to July 2025. This marks a dramatic fall from 91 million kilograms during the same period last year, one of the sharpest declines in over a decade.

Officials and climate experts blame the crisis on a 44% rainfall deficit reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Key districts, such as Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, and S...