CYCLONE AILA DEVASTATES EQUAL EXCHANGE TEA GARDEN

It has been a disastrous spring for the tea farmers of the Darjeeling foothills. After months of drought destroyed the precious first flush of this champagne of teas, the districts around Darjeeling were hit by torrential rains and cyclonic winds. Cyclone Aila struck the hills overnight on 15th May after flooding much of Calcutta.

Three weeks later the small scale farmers of the Mineral Springs cooperative outside Darjeeling Town are still cut off after landslides destroyed their access road, damaged culverts and the Rungdung river bridge. Over 80 houses have been badly damaged, some destroyed completely. As a result 46 families (216 people in all) have taken temporary shelter in schools and community centres. Luckily no one is missing.

After decades of struggle to secure land and livelihoods in an abandoned tea garden, progress recently supported by Fairtrade certified tea sales from Equal Exchange has taken a severe set back. Production of tea ceased at a vital time with fields and terraces badly damaged; precious top soil washed away whilst valuable goats and cattle wandered off.

In the last few days tea picking has resumed from the undamaged plots. The precious fresh green leaf is carried in head loads down to the jeeps parked beyond the washed out road. This daily delivery is transformed into Darjeeling tea at the Selimbong factory from where it will eventually be trucked to Calcutta and made into Equal Exchange Mineral Springs tea.

After initial assessment of the damage the community has an immediate requirement of £200,000 to rebuild 25 houses, repair another 10 and provide emergency food and utensils for the 46 displaced families and has asked us to contact supporters and customers to support their efforts.

Equal Exchange is appealing to all supporters to give generously to a short term relief fund set up to support the Mineral Springs efforts to rebuild.

'Whilst we are now appealing directly to our customers and supporters, we will be working with other 100% Fairtrade companies across Europe and North America to raise this relief sum and hope the Fairtrade Foundation will help too' said Andy Good, Managing Director of Equal Exchange.

Donations can be sent to: Equal Exchange (marked: 'Mineral Springs Relief Fund'), 2 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6JA.

Additionally consumers can support the longer term aspirations for secure livelihoods by buying Mineral Springs teas directly from the Equal Exchange website.