Ilam tea
Mist valley tea state
Ilam tea if often referred to as the comparable, "classic" Darjeeling tea, and a great alternative from the "more expensive" Darjeeling tea.The reason for the similarity of Nepal Tea with the well-known Darjeeling tea is that the eastern zones of Nepal, which are the main tea producing regions of Nepal, have more or less the same geographical and topographical conditions as the Darjeeling.
Nevertheless, Ilam tea does stand apart from the Darjeeling tea, despite being introduced to the world much later than the Darjeeling tea. Tea connoisseurs consider some of the teas from Ilam to be much better than the Darjeeling tea in its aroma, fusion, taste and color.However, Ilam tea has not been that successful in capturing limelight in the world tea market, mainly due to the lack of sufficient quantities of tea, that often fails to meet the demand. Since its inception, Nepal tea is characterized by two types of tea, which are Orthodox tea and CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) tea. Orthodox tea is mainly produced in Ialm whereas CTC tea is produced in plain lands in lower part mainly Jhapa District.
Local EconomyToday, Ilam tea industry is dominated by private players, whereas in the 1990s the tea industry was a Government monopoly prior to the liberalization of the tea industry. Until 2003, Nepal tea exports accounted for only about 80 – 100 tons per annum. However, due to the liberalization adopted about a decade ago, the Nepal tea industry witnessed an exponential rise in tea exports, accounting for almost 4,000 – 5,000 tons per annum. Out of this figure more than 50% of exports were those tea cultivated in Ilam. Tea is one of the main cash crops in the hilly districts contributing to rural and national economics and to alleviating poverty through income and employment generation.
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