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another area with orchard crops on the hill slopes, use 10 years, driven by a renewed interest in the physical &
the flatlands for grazing and providing forage food for mental health benefits of loose-leaf tea – both of the black
animals like maize, rice, corn, etc., maybe some cash crops and green varieties,” shares Aditya.
like avocados, pineapples, rubber, palm, plantains, etc. Consumers are also increasingly becoming aware
Simply put, using the land more effectively to grow mul- of the environmental impact of their actions and their
tiple crops instead of just one crop in all the land, based food consumption habits. This is evident in the rise of
on feasibility and suitability according to climate, terrain, sustainable and eco-friendly tea brands. One example
etc.,” Dan tells me. of this would be the rise of bagless tea bags, eliminating
“Farmscapes would be more resilient to environmen- the plastic and paper that are essential for making con-
tal damage and threats, more resilient to pests, embrace ventional tea bags. Besides, brands are getting more
and support more biodiversity, and the crops would de- creative with flavors, even pushing boundaries to offer
velop more interesting flavors and qualities,” he adds. hard teas, seltzers, etc.
Leaf-to-cup concepts are also gaining popularity. Dan
Taking the Touristy Path offers a very important mantra – “Consult the consumer”.
“Consumers are constantly making decisions about what
An emerging and innovative means to diversify they want, so listening to what they are saying is very im-
sources of income in tea gardens is offering experiential portant for producers. Farmers usually have a lot going on
tourism. In the post-covid world, people are traveling the but if they can invest some time and resources in building
world, keen to experience new cultures and practices and a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) value chain it would be very
learn new things. Offering people a chance to stay in tea profitable for them in the long run. Producers usually get
gardens and understand what goes into producing every about 1 to 3% of the retail sale price, but with D2C ventures,
cup of tea they see on shop shelves or consume, not only farmers can get 100% of the sale price, which would not just
helps them see the tireless efforts of the people working justify the cost of packaging, marketing, etc. but also enable
on the farm but also gain insights that help them look at producers to invest in offering innovative new products as
their cup of tea differently – empowered by experience well as in improving the quality of their tea,” Dan tells me.
Agroforestry a field’s terrain and can include seeders as well as fertil- they have on the tea farms. Munnar in Southern India, Like every sector of agriculture, global tea cultivation
izer systems. However, these can be very expensive and Darjeeling in Eastern India, and the tea gardens of Nuwara is not bereft of challenges – some at the micro level spe-
Trees that can offer shade to the tea plants, shelter- unaffordable for a lot of tea producers. More research is Eliya and Kandy in Sri Lanka are popular examples of how cific to a region, and some at the macro level like climate
ing them against the scorching heat in the rising tempera- also required to understand the efficacy and utility of countless tourists show up every year to visit the tea change. However, history bears evidence that the best
tures and minimizing the evaporation loss from tea machinery in different terrains. gardens looking to experience a slice of a tea garden. innovations have often bred in challenging situations,
bushes are being planted by producers to combat some of Governments are gradually permitting tea estate having the potential to change the world. The challenges
the effects of climate change. The trees also serve as a Diversifying into the Future owners to convert a small portion of their estates to a of the tea industry are pushing tea producers to innovate,
barrier in case of storms, cyclones, etc. as well as reduce homestay or resort, often overlooking the lush green tea embrace technological advances, and think out of the box.
the damage from heavy rains, hailstones, etc. Common “Growing multiple crops and not just tea is highly gardens, giving tourists a stunning view, a peek into the How it changes our cup of tea and what the future of the
trees grown for this purpose include Albizia odoratissima, recommended. As a manager, I oversaw the experimen- heritage that is plantation cuisine – a blend of the colonial tea sector will be like, only time we tell. One thing is
A. chinensis, A. lebbeck, A. lucidior, A. procera, Derris tation of cultivating avocados, pepper, areca nut, and ideas and local ingredients usually shaped by the events certain – these are interesting times for our cup of tea.
robusta, Grevillea robusta, and Indigofera teysmannii. macadamia in the plantations I was working at,” says of world history.
Belliappa, erstwhile manager at two notable tea planta-
Mechanization tions in India. Evolving Consumer Preferences
Dan Bolton, the renowned editor & publisher of Tea
Challenges in finding farm workers for the tea farms Journey publication, the Tea Biz blog, and the host of the World tea consumption has risen by 3.5% over the
are pushing farmers to look at opportunities presented by widely listened weekly Tea Biz podcast has a very inter- last decade, reflecting strong growth in producing coun-
embracing mechanization. When sufficient manpower is esting vision for the tea plantations to diversify and be tries. The largest expansion within the top five producing
not available, hand-picking the buds and tender leaves more resilient. He envisions a concept he calls “farms- countries is expected in China, pegged at around 4.9% per
from every branch is not a feasible option due to insuffi- cape”. Farmscape is a popular mobile and PC game that annum as the popularity of black tea, pu’er tea, and dark
cient availability of workers, some farmers have taken up involves users maintaining virtual farms and working tea rises steadily. One of the reasons driving this growth Like every sector
harvesting using shearing devices and mechanical tea towards cultivating crops, rearing cattle and other ani- is the increasing awareness of the health benefits offered
harvesters. The hand-held shearing devices are inexpen- mals, growing their farms, serving customers, etc. “A by tea, according to the report “International tea market: of agriculture, global
sive and often fashioned out of things available on the farmscape is a landscape with the economic viability of market situation, prospects and emerging issues” by Food
farm itself. Auto-steering driverless tractors for tea har- the farm in mind. Think of it in terms of encouraging and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. tea cultivation is not
vest is one of the newest innovations in mechanizing the farmers to create farmscapes with say a canopy of tall “Major global reports do point to tea consumption bereft of challenges.
work in a tea garden. They use GPS receivers to navigate trees, an area with bushes of tea, coffee, tree nuts, etc., projected to continue to enjoy robust growth over the next

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