First Flush Tea Plucking Begins in Ilam, Signaling Start of Annual Income for Farmers

Ilam. The first plucking of the season has begun in the tea gardens of Ilam. This plucking, known as 'First Flush,' is considered crucial for producing high-quality tea.

Tea entrepreneur Jeevan Pandey stated that the tea production, which started in the last week of Falgun, forms the main basis of annual income for industrialists and farmers. The first flush of tea is collected with special care. Pandey added that because high-quality products are made from the tender leaves, the demand for it is high in the international market.

According to Ilam tea industrialist Sharad Subba, plucking has started from the southern region of the district this year. He informed that the first plucking has commenced in the Soyak garden of Ilam. "This is plucked in a safe manner. High-quality tea is prepared from this," Subba said, adding, "About two and a half quintals of tea were collected in the first plucking alone." According to him, tea plucking has gradually started in gardens in areas like Chillingkot along with Soyak.

Subba, who is also the operator of the Jasbire Tea Factory in Jasbire, Ilam, stated that the price of green leaves this year has been maintained at the same level as last year. He mentioned that arrangements have been made to pay farmers between NPR 65 to NPR 1,500 per kilogram.

For local farmers, the first tea plucking is like the beginning of hope for the year. According to tea farmer Jagannath Adhikari of Suryodaya Municipality-1, the first flush tea fetches a good price because of its quality. "If the first plucking goes well, enthusiasm for tea production increases throughout the year," Adhikari said, "This is a good income that comes early in the year for the farmers."

Farmer Buddha Limbu of Mai Municipality-5 said that due to insufficient rainfall since Kartik this year, plucking in the upper hilly regions of the district is likely to start only after the first week of Chaitra.

The Kanchanjunga Tea Factory, located in Panchthar along with Ilam, has already started processing the first flush tea. According to industrialists, the tea prepared this way is mainly exported to various European countries, including Germany, Russia, and the United States.

Different flavors and qualities of tea, such as Golden, Golden Pearl, Silver Tip, Golden Black, and Green, are produced in Ilam, said Shiva Lal Neupane, Chief Customs Officer at the Mechi Customs Office, Jhapa. According to him, statistics show that 8,677,221 kilograms of tea were exported from Nepal in the current fiscal year 2082-83, earning foreign currency worth NPR 2.321256 billion.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture statistics, more than 7,600 farmers in Ilam are cultivating tea on 7,300 hectares of land, and 36 large tea gardens are in operation in the district.