Tea Plantation in Darjeeling
Tea industry offers not only a significant part of Darjeeling’s economy but also garners Darjeeling a worldwide fame. The aroma and taste of the authentic Darjeeling tea makes people buy it no matter how much money he needs to spend for that. Tea industry is one of the traditional heritages owed by Darjeeling and today there are a total of 78 tea estates in the hills, which have attained the status to be qualified as “Darjeeling Tea” for its produce by the Tea Board of India. “Darjeeling Tea” today is the brand and the estates cover over 17,500 hectares producing over 9 million kg of tea in India. Tea industry in Darjeeling has engaged about 50 percent people of the district.
The Darjeeling Tea industry today provides a steady livelihood and other facilities like housing, statutory benefits, allowances, incentives, crèches for infants of working mothers, children’s education, integrated residential medical facilities for employees and their families and many more.
The first trial plantation of Tea seeds started with planting seeds at a high altitude of 700 ft. by Dr. A. Campbell, during the British Raj in 1845. That time, an experimental nursery was set up in Darjeeling by the Government. With the success of the trial run, the Government planted a nursery at Lebong in 1847.
Tea plantations in Darjeeling although started in the small area initially, later it was extended in the Kurseong area as well. However, it was not extended anymore after Kurseong. Till date the tea cultivation is restricted to Darjeeling and Kurseong sub-divisions only.
Nowadays, tea is grown at an altitude ranging from 600 to 2000 meters above mean sea level and requires a minimum of 50″ to 60″ of rainfall in a year. The cold humid climate, the soil, the rainfall and the gradually slopping terrains all provide ideal physical conditions to impart Darjeeling tea, its unique “Muscatel flavor” and “Exquisite Banquet”. Such a distinctive and unique climate offers Darjeeling unparalleled favorable condition that any other parts of the world in producing tea. Darjeeling tea has well-coveted affluence in Western and Japanese markets. Every year, Darjeeling’s economy is benefited 80% of the total tea exports.
Stiff following the original methods of tea manufacture, known as the “Orthodox” tea manufacture, Darjeeling has retained its inherent tradition till date. Unlike “C.T.C.” type of manufacture adopted in the plains, now.(C.T.C. stands for Curling, Tearing & Crushing), Darjeeling’s ‘Organic tea’ has a worldwide fame. For manufacturing organic tea, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is completely prohibited. “Darjeeling Tea” stands for the hallmark of excellence.
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