Tea Plantation Shrinks as Promotional Efforts Falter

TEA plantations have shrunk from a peak of 700 acres a few years back, to around 40 acres, owing to government apathy and marketing problems. 

Meanwhile, the country is heavily dependent on tea imports. More than Rs 31bn worth of black tea was imported in 2015. The import bill of green tea was around Rs 100m. These figures do not include the unchecked tea smuggled into the country. To cut imports, the National Tea Research Institute (NTRI) — established in Shinkiari in Mansehra district of KP in 1986 — started tea plantation on 50 acres of land. 

According to a report, a tea plant remains productive for well over 80-100 years. If managed properly, tea is a highly remunerative crop and no major cash crop can compete with it in net-return per unit area.