Tea in India: An overview

Tea is grown in India in a wide amplitude of climatic variables, at latitudes from 8° 12' to 32° 13' N. Currently, an area of about 579,000 ha is under tea, the major tea growing states being Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Other states such as Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Tripura and Uttaranchal also grow tea in small areas. Tea plantations in India are traditionally large holdings but in recent years small scale cultivation has gained prominence and at present there are more than 200,000 small tea growers who account for 24 percent of the production. India is the largest producer and consumer of black tea in the world. Production in 2010 was 966.50 million kg of which 80 percent was CTC tea and the remaining 20 percent orthodox, green and other types of tea. The country exported 185 million kg in 2010 which accounted for about 10 percent of world exports. The per capita consumption is low, at about 750 g per annum. Production strategies of the two major tea growing areas of north east India and south India differ due to various factors such as soil, climate, plant growth, pests, diseases and cost of production. Harvesting in north east India is confined to nine months whereas in south India tea bushes are harvested throughout the year. There are remarkable variations in the chemical constituents of tea leaves due to climatic variables, soils, plant physiology and agroinputs. This not only invites different strategies for processing' but also for the production of different product categories. The agronomic practices and processing methods have evolved accordingly. The Indian tea industry is more than 170 years old and the plantations face several challenges including the geriatric factor. There is stagnation in productivity and no new areas are available for large scale planting. The cost of production is escalating due to several factors including the cost offertilizers and pesticides. While India adheres to ISO:3720, there are tea producing countries which are yet to adopt this standard, leading to the production of substandard tea. The industry in India with the support of the Government has embarked on an ambitious programme of replantation and rejuvenation pruning. Factory modernization and quality upgradation programmes are in progress. HACCPcertification is widely adopted by the factories. The industry is supported by research organizations; both in north east India as well as in south India and their contributions in the various scientific disciplines have helped the plantations to achieve the present day productivity and quality.