Introduction

Tea plantation in India was started in 1823, when wild lea plants were discovered by the British in the forest of Assam.

India produced over 1.1 million tonnes of tea during 2012 and over 1.2 million tonnes during 2013. Hence, India is ranked second among the largest tea producing countries in the world, next only to China.

The Eastern Himalayas of India present ideal conditions for tea plantation. The foot-hill regions of the Eastern Himalayas and the Brahmaputra valley are among world’s largest tea plantation regions .

India is one of the biggest producer and exporter of tea. The major tea producing States in India are the following:

1. Assam:

Assam is the largest producer of tea and accounts for more than 52 per cent of the tea, produced in India. It is one of the largest tea producing regions in the world.

The main districts producing tea are:

• Lakhimpur,
• Kamrup,
• Sivasagar,
• Goalpara,
• Cachar,
• Derrang and
• Nagaon.

2. West Bengal:

West Bengal ranks second in the list of tea producing states and accounts for more than 25 per cent of the tea, produced in the country. The main districts producing tea are:

• Darjeeling,
• Jalpaiguri and
• Coochbehar.

The Dareeling tea is famous for its flavor and it is grown on the mountain slopes of the Himalayas at elevations ranging from 300 to 1800 meters.

3. Other States of North India:

Other Tea producing States in Northern India are:

• Himachal Pradesh (Kangra and Nandi districts),
• Uttarachal Pradesh (Dehra Dun district),
• Jharkhand (Ranchi district),
• Arunachal Pradesh,
• Tripura,
• Manipur and
• Meghalaya.

4. South India:

In South India, tea is grown on the hilly slopes of the Nilgiris and Palanis in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Tamil Nadu occupies the third position in the list of tea producing states.

Also read: Tea (Wikipedia)