Nepal
The small kingdom in the Himalayan mountains
lies in between Tibet (China) in the North and India in the South, East
and West. The country belongs to the Terei (flatland with tropical
temperatures), the medium mountain range (up to 4,200 metres) and the
high-alpine zone with the highest peaks of the earth. As diversified
and versatile as the country side is also the ethical diversity of one
of the youngest tea cultivation countries, even though the first
plantations were already founded approximately 140 years ago. In 1863
Mr. Gajaraj Singh Thapa, the brother-in-law of the Prime Minister and
administrator of the Province Ilam, received the first seeds from China
as a gift. The tea garden Ilam (50 hectares) was founded by him. A
first tea factory was built in the year 1873. However, only in the
1950s did the UNO start supporting professional tea cultivation as a
development project in on of the poorest countires of the world. They
succeeded in building up a successful tea industry. The tea cultivation
in Nepal is carried out by many small farmer cooperatives. They sell
their harvests to the local, state tea factories.
The tea cultivation areas lie all in the East of the country at medium altitudes, neighbouring Darjeeling.
Towards
the end of the 1960s, and with international help, the
"Nepal-Fikkal-Ilam small Tea Producers Co. Ltd." was founded which
processes the harvests of the small farmers and tries to sell this on
the international market. The competition from the neighbouring
Darjeeling is fierce. The kingdom of Nepal undertakes immense efforts
in order to compete with its famous neighbour. The HOTPA (Himalayan
Orthodox Tea Producers Association), a cooperation of small tea
plantations, - growers and -fabrics, also represents the interests of
the people East of the Himalaya who depend on cultivating tea.
Nepal does not have a coastline - the closest harbour is Calcutta, 600 km away.
Nepals highland teas distinguish themselves by their extremely fine,
nutty taste and a slight nutmeg aroma. Today, self-bred clones of China
hybrids from Darjeeling are the only plants used. During the last
couple of years, some very experienced managers from Darjeeling could
be headhunted. The result are fine teas which do not have to fear a
direct comparision with their famous neighbour. The majority of the
teas are produced orthodoxically and with consideration for the most
modern ecological standards. Hence, almost no pesticides are used but
mainly Nim-tree extracts and lemon grass to fight varmints. Organic
fertilizers are used almost exclusively. Meanwhile, Nepal can also
achieve remarcable prices on international tea exchanges.