Nepali tea
Nepali tea is a beverage made from the leaves of tea plants (Camellia sinensis) grown in Nepal. They are distinctive in appearance, aroma and taste,[1] but are similar in many ways to tea produced in Darjeeling tea, perhaps because the eastern zones of Nepal have geography and topography similar to Darjeeling.[2] Its relatively smaller production quantities mean that teas from Nepal are less well known than those from Darjeeling.[3]
Nepal's teas fall into two types of tea: Orthodox tea and Crush, tear, curl tea.
Orthodox tea
Orthodox tea is – as Darjeeling Tea – made from the Chinese Variety of the tea plant (C. sinensis var. sinensis). The tea is hand- or machine-rolled. Most speciality teas like
Orthodox tea in Nepal is characterized by four flushes:[5][6]
- First flush, begins in the fourth week of March and continues until the end of April. The leaves are tender and the liquor is light yellowish green in color, having a delicate taste with subtle aroma and flavor. The first flush is more expensive, because of its light and delicate flavor, but also due to the fact that it is produced in low quantity and the demand outstrips the supply.
- Second flush, starts during the second week of May and lasts until the last week of July. In the second flush the leaves gain more strength and exhibits the main characteristics of tea in contrast to the first flush tea. Some experts state that the best tea is made during the second flush.
- Monsoon flush, also referred as "Rainy tea" begins immediately after the second flush, that is around the last week of July and continues until the end of September. The monsoon tea, due to the continuous rain, exhibits a very intense and dark fusion as the tea develops its full color and strength, resulting in a full bodied tea. It is often recommended.
- Autumn flush, usually begins in October and lasts until the end of November. The autumn tea gives a fantastic combination of musky flavors, tangy aromas and an amber liquor.
CTC tea
The Nepal CTC tea is also characterized by four pronounced flushes, the First, Second, Monsoon and Autumn flushes, but unlike the orthodox tea, the CTC tea is more or less uniform throughout, often exhibiting a strong color and subtle
History
During the Rana Dynasty
During the 1800s and the early 1900s, Nepal was under the reign of a highly centralized autocracy, the
It is believed that the first tea bushes in Nepal were grown from seeds which were given as a gift by the Chinese Emperor to the then
However, the nascent tea industry of Nepal failed to grow. At a time period when the
After the Rana Dynasty
During the 1950s, there was a shift in the political scenario of Nepal. A new constitution was written to develop a democratic system. Despite failure in successful democratization, Nepal's economy at least opened up to the rest of the world. As a result, the stagnant tea industry witnessed an inflow of public and private investment. The first private tea plantation was set up in 1959, in the terai region under the name Bhudhakaran Tea Estate.
In 1966, the Nepal Tea Development Corporation (NTDC) was set up to aid the development of the tea industry. Originally, tea leaves produced in Nepal were sold to factories in
From 1987 to 1993, some of today's notable institutions were incorporated to further aid the Nepal Tea Development Corporation in the development of a century old stagnant tea industry, like – National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB), Nepal Tea Planters' Association (NTPA) and Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers' Association (HOTPA). In 1997, Nepal's tea industry saw a major transformation towards privatization, with the privatization of the plantations and factories under the Nepal Tea Development Corporation (NTDC).
Since the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, an array of international non-governmental organizations (like – Winrock, SNV, GTZ etc.) have become involved with the stakeholders of Nepal's tea industry, because the tea industry in Nepal also played a significant role in the eradication of poverty, especially in the rural areas where the tea plantations were concentrated. By the 21st century the stagnant tea industry had transformed into a fully commercialized industry, yet it had not yet developed a strong brand in the global market, lacking efficiently integrated production and marketing systems.
Hence, in 2000 as per the provisions of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board Act of 1992, the Government of Nepal ratified the National Tea Policy.[11] The National Tea Policy focussed on the following five main broad topics: -
- Production and processing
- Market and trade promotion
- Institutional arrangement
- Manpower development
- Development and promotion of auxiliary industries
Present
Today, Nepal's tea industry is dominated by private interests with the first private orthodox factory, Bhudkharan tea private limited being established in 1960, whereas in the 1980s the tea industry was a Government monopoly prior to the liberalization of the tea industry. Until 2000, Nepal's tea exports accounted for only about 100 – 150 tons per annum. However, due to the liberalization adopted about a decade ago, Nepal's tea industry witnessed an exponential rise in tea exports, accounting for almost 4,000 – 5,000 tons per annum.
At present, Nepal produces approximately 16.29 million kilograms of tea per annum on an area of 16,718 hectares. It accounts for only 0.4% of the total world tea output. Tea is taken as self-dependent cash crop in agroforestry practice and is found as the most important example of the long term
Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA), the association of orthodox tea producers of Nepal, realizing the potential of the Nepalese orthodox tea in the global market, has been adopting various measures to improve the quality and marketing of orthodox tea. In 2003, Himalayan Tea Producers Co-operative Limited (HIMCOOP), the marketing wing of the Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA), was set up to assist in the marketing of Nepali tea. Similarly, in 2006, the Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA) implemented the Code of Conduct. The main objective of the Code of Conduct was to increase the standards of Nepalese orthodox tea to an international level. The main principles of the Code of Conduct are:-[14]
- Respect towards nature
- Respect towards human
- Respect towards production system
- Respect towards quality
Farmers are now supported by the National Tea and Coffee Development Board created by the Nepalese Ministry of Agriculture.[15] A national tea policy was introduced by the NTCDB in 2000 which aimed to create more access to credit and land for farmers producing tea.[15] Orthodox tea now provides a source of sustainability for almost 20 000 farmers in Nepal.[8]
Cultivation
Cultivated in hilly areas and in high altitudes is conducive for the highest quality tea.[8] In Nepal, the Eastern mountainous regions host most of the orthodox (as opposed to crush, tear and curl) tea crops at altitudes approximating 3000–7000 feet above sea level.[8] Nepal has six districts in which Orthodox tea is produced; Ilam, Dhankuta, Kaski, Terhathum, Sindhupalchok, and Panchthar.[8] Among these districts there are a small number of medium-to-large scale tea estates as well as a large number of small holder farmers.[8] Once the tea plant reaches maturity, its leaves can be harvested around four to five times a year, for many years.[16] The different harvests of tea are called flushes. In Nepal there are four separate flushes in a growing season; first flush, second flush, monsoon flush, and autumn flush.[16]
Pesticide use
There is no
An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is becoming more popular as an alternative to pesticide application.[17] The IPM approach includes the use of bio fertilizers, vermin-compost, and organic farming.[17] The lack of internal regulation of pesticide use adversely affects the commodity in terms of trade potential.[17]
Value-added and organic farming
The United States Department of International Development recommended increasing the productivity of tea cultivation in Nepal by updating the out of date machinery that most processing factories currently use.[18] Other interventions proposed include the introduction of motorized pruning devices to reduce labour and increase productivity with respect to time.[18] A more recent obstacle that is limiting small farmers is the issue of pesticide use and achieving organic certification.[8][15][18] The belief in Nepal is that becoming a certified organic farmer, a costly and time-consuming process, will yield significant increases in profit[17] However, with organic tea production, yields decrease and labour increases significantly during initial stages of adaptation.[17] In the end, the major problem for most tea farmers in Nepal is that they occupy the primary or secondary industry. Small tea farmers do not have the means to add value to their tea through processing and packaging; they rely on outside agents to purchase their bulk leaves.[19]
Economic effects
The transition from
See also
- Tea production in Azerbaijan
- Tea production in Bangladesh
- Tea production in Indonesia
- Tea production in Kenya
- Tea production in Sri Lanka
- Tea production in Uganda
- Tea production in the United States
References
- ISBN 2-9517419-1-X. Archived from the originalon 2008-11-15. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
- ^ "Tea in Nepal". National Tea and Coffee Development Board. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ "Is Nepali Tea same as Darjeeling Tea?". nepalvista.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ Goodwin, Lindsey. "orthodox tea". coffeetea.about.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ "Flushes of tea in Nepal". Nepal Tea Development Corporation Limited. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "Cup Quality". National Tea and Coffee Development Board. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ Goodwin, Lindsey. "Crush Tear Curl tea". coffeetea.about.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-9937225113.
- ^ Thapa, Ajit N.S. "Concept Paper on Study of Nepalese Tea Industry – Vision 2020-" (PDF). Nepal Tree Crop Global Development Alliance (NTCGDA), Winrock International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ "National Tea Policy, 2000". National Tea and Coffee Development Board. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ "Indigenous Tea (Camellia sinensis) Farming in Ilam district: Viable source of sustainable livelihood in the eastern hills of Nepal" (PDF). Forestry Nepal. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Tea Plantation and Production". National Tea and Coffee Development Board. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Code of Conduct Regulation 2063. For orthodox tea Production, Processing and Market Promotion" (PDF). Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e NTCDB. (2013). Orthodox tea. Nepal: National Tea and Coffee Development Board. http://www.teacoffee.gov.np/
- ^ a b UPASI TRF. (2014). Orthodox. Tamil Nadu, INDIA: UPASI TEA RESEARCH FOUNDATION. http://www.upasitearesearch.org/orthodox/
- ^ .
- ^ a b c Walker, D. (2011). Nepali tea assessment : Nepal, economic, agriculture, and trade activity. (No. AID-367-TO-11-00001). United States Agency for International Development. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JH33.pdf
- ^ Mohan, S. (2013). Institutions and livelihoods in Nepal’s tea value chain. Ottawa, Canada: International Development Research Centre. https://www.academia.edu/4800391/Institutions_and_Livelihoods_in_Nepals_Tea_Value_Chain_A_Policy_Paper
Further reading
- Adhikari, R., & Adhikari, K. (2005). Market access barriers to select Nepalese agricultural exports (PDF)., i-23.