Kolkata, Jun 1 (PTI) Tea gardens in West Bengal reported almost 100 per cent attendance of workforce on Monday, an official of the Tea Association of India (TAI) said.

The state government had allowed 100 per cent deployment of workforce in the tea gardens from Monday.

Also Read | Nisarga is Severe Cyclone & We're Expecting a Wind Speed of 90-100 Kmph, Says DG DG of National Disaster Response Force: Live Breaking News Headlines & Coronavirus Updates, June 1, 2020.

Earlier, it had allowed 25 per cent workforce deployment to conduct skiffing activity and then 50 per cent to start plucking operations.

"There is almost 100 per cent attendance in the tea gardens in West Bengal. The attendance is good," TAI president Raj Bansal told PTI.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Horror: Four-Year-Old Girl Raped and Killed, Body Found in Well in Chhatarpur District.

Rudra Chatterjee, MD of Luxmi Tea, which owns the famous Makaibari estate, also said all its workers have turned up on Monday.

Bansal said full deployment of workforce is extremely essential for the second flush.

He said it is easier to maintain social distancing norms in tea gardens.

The TAI official said due to the lockdown, the entire May crop is lost, and that there will be an overall shortfall in production for the full year.

"We expect a good second flush, and hopefully will be able to recover the crop losss to some extent," he added. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)