By Ann Wang

MEISHAN/TAOYUAN Taiwan (Reuters). Chien Shunyih stares at the withering tea plants in Taiwan’s charming southern Meishan Township, then lets out a sigh.

Last year’s drought was followed by torrential rainfall this year, which decimated his crop. This has left Taiwan’s tea-farmers scrambling to cope with the weather extremes.

The 28-year old Chien said that climate is something we cannot control when it comes to managing our tea plantation. “We really can depend on the sky for food.”

(Open https://reut.rs/3aB7uEt in an external browser to see a picture package on Taiwan’s tea industry.)

Although Taiwan doesn’t have the tea production to match India or China’s, it has a high quality tea product, Meishan’s Oolong premium Oolong.

The mountains surrounding Meishan have been home to tea since China’s Qing dynasty of the 19th century. Under Japanese imperial rule, 1895-1945 saw the industry develop and expand.

Chien is back to manage the family plantation, four years after his dad died from cancer.

Lin Shiou Ruei, a researcher for the government who helps Meishan’s tea farmers, stated that another issue the extreme weather can bring is the pests that infest the young tea buds.

At her experiment fields in Taoyuan (northern Taiwan), she stated that pets love both heat and dry. “It used to only get hot between May and July. Now it gets really hot by April.”

Lin is trying to teach farmers how to recognize and manage the many pests caused by climate change.

Tsai Ha-tsung (senior agronomist) said her boss that she began watching the weather patterns in the tea country around four years back and has already noticed the flavor of the crop change along with them.

“Temperatures are rising, but rainfall is falling,” he said. “There is less moisture,” he stated. Tea is sensitive.

It remains to be debated whether what’s happening in Taiwanese tea country has any direct connection with climate change.

Chen Yung-ming, head of the Climate Change Division at Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction, said it was not possible to blame the drought on climate change.

He said, “We cannot say anything but that there is a greater chance of drought continuing.”

Chien says that 600 kilograms (1300 lb), of his tea harvest this year will be lost due to rain and drought, but he remains determined to win.

They are my source of food and shelter. They are my food and shelter. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure they continue to thrive.”