Calcutta: A small batch of first flush tea from Namring Tea Estate in Darjeeling has fetched Rs 12,500 a kg even as the delay over payment of puja bonus to workers continue to affect production of the first harvest of the season in many gardens.

The Poddar family owned Namring, the single largest garden in the hills, sold the consignment to Subodh Brothers, a leading retailer of Darjeeling tea in Bengal. The contract was made through Contemporary Brokers (P) Ltd.

"It is a good start to the season even as the condition is challenging. We are hoping the export sales will be able to do even better," Prateek Poddar, director of Poddar HMP Group, owner of Namring, said.

First flush contributes around 20-25 per cent of Darjeeling tea production and 35 per cent of the value. On an average it fetches 80 euros a kg (Rs 6,500), making up for low yield and high cost of production of 87-odd gardens in the hills.

Despite the heady price the small batch (25 kg) fetched, industrial relations remain grim as several gardens reported agitations and stop-work on Tuesday, a day after the Bengal government tried to diffuse the tension by holding a tripartite meeting at state secretariat Nabanna.

Though the union, representing the workers, had agreed to extend the March 10 deadline for final instalment of puja bonus on the request of garden owners, there is a sense of disquiet in the gardens.

Kaushik Basu, secretary-general of the Darjeeling Tea Association, said workers continue to be affected despite the assurance from Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labourers' Union at Nabanna on Monday. "Many gardens are paying bonuses by arranging funds. But not all will be able to," he said.

Kishorilal Agarwal, owner of Poobong Estate, said he had approached local administration, labour commissioner to resolve the impasse at his garden.

"If workers do not pick up leaves, quality will suffer. It will wreck the balance sheet of the garden," he said.