The British planters embarked on a significant endeavor to establish tea gardens spanning the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas, stretching from Assam to Himachal Pradesh. Despite their ambitious efforts, their success was notably confined primarily to the Darjeeling region. Several factors contributed to this limited success. Firstly, Darjeeling’s unique microclimate and elevation provided optimal conditions for tea cultivation, yielding high-quality produce sought after in international markets. Additionally, the indigenous labor force and expertise in tea cultivation in Darjeeling played a crucial role, which was lacking in other regions. Moreover, the challenges posed by rugged terrain, unfavorable climatic conditions, and inadequate infrastructure in the vast expanse of the Himalayan foothills hindered the widespread establishment of successful tea gardens beyond Darjeeling. Hence, while British planters endeavored to replicate their success, they ultimately found their endeavors stymied by geographical, climatic, and logistical constraints, confining their triumphs predominantly to the Darjeeling area.
Tag: Distribution of key natural resources.
Decoding the Question:
- In Introduction, mention how and why tea plantation was introduced in India by British.
- In Body, discuss significant reasons why British did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area.
- Conclude with the effect of initiative and how it is relevant even today.
Answer:
Tea was not only planted in Assam but also many other sites. Tea gardens were developed all along Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh wherever the climatic conditions and terrain lent itself to plantation of tea shrubs. Intending to overthrow China’s monopoly on tea and having found that Indian soil was eminently suitable to cultivate tea plants, the British developed tea gardens in India.
After many trials and extended periods of dedicated efforts, the first British-led commercial tea plantation in India was established in 1837 in Chabua in Upper Assam. Tea planting in Darjeeling officially began in 1841, when the first superintendent of Darjeeling, Archibald Campbell, experimented by planting a few chinary tea seeds near his house.
There are certain reasons why British plantation was highly successful in Darjeeling not beyond it, such as:
Geographical reasons:
- Tea plants need plenty of water but do not grow well in stagnant water near roots. In this region the topography is such that no stagnant water can be found here, which is favourable for tea cultivation. In the Northeastern region stagnant water hampers tea cultivation. On the other hand, in western Himalayan region terrain and soil are not suitable for tea plantations.
- Tista ,Rangreej, Mhananda, Balason and many more Himalayan streams and South-West monsoon supply sufficient water for tea cultivation.
- Other than Darjeeling steep slope and absence of soil or fertile soil is the major reason for the absence of tea plantation developments. In the case of Darjeeling soil has an immense amount of potassium and phosphorus which is essential for tea cultivation.
- High altitude of this region allows low temp and thus frost.
- Low population density allows large areas under tea plantations.
Economic reasons:
- All the places other than Darjeeling are far away from Kolkata or Chittagong port. Thus, the location was prominent for export.
- Difficult terrain in the Northeastern regions make severe hindrances for tea plantation developments, particularly transportation issues.
- Cheap labour was available.
- Social reasons.
- Northeastern India is a tribal based area. The local tribes did not allow British dominance and commercialization.
The plantation the British introduced is continuing with a great pace. At present 70 percent of the Darjeeling tea produced is exported to international markets. In 2004, Darjeeling tea became the first product in India to be registered under the Geographical Indications of Goods.
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