India International Tea Convention 2025: IITC 2025

India is the 2nd largest producer and consumer of tea.

It is also the 3rd largest exporter.

In 2024, India produced 1.3 billion kg and consumed 1.22 billion kg.

Kenya: Kenya, which is the largest exporter of tea . exports almost all the tea it produces → earns higher value.

China: produces a lot but drinks most of it locally.

Sri Lanka: exported 245 million kg worth $1.4 billion.

India: exported 255 million kg but earned only $800 million → shows India needs to improve quality and pricing.

India’s people drink a lot of tea, but per capita consumption is 840 gm per year.

In Turkey, it’s 3 kg per year, the highest in the world.

If Indians drink just 1 kg per year, India’s production will be fully consumed domestically.

Optimum range: 13°C – 32°C

Sensitive to frost and extreme cold.

Cooler temperatures at higher altitudes (600–2,100 m) improve quality and flavor (slower leaf growth enhances aroma).

Requires 150–250 cm of well-distributed rainfall annually.

High relative humidity (80–90%) promotes healthy growth.

Dry spells reduce yield; hence even distribution is critical.

Prefers acidic soil (pH 4.5–5.5).

Should be deep, friable, well-drained, and rich in organic matter.

Waterlogging is harmful.

Tea is a shade-loving crop; excessive direct sunlight harms leaves.

Shorter days and cooler conditions induce dormancy, lowering yields.

Thrives from 600–2,100 meters above sea level.

Higher altitudes → slower growth, finer plucking standard, better aroma & quality (e.g., Darjeeling tea).

Lower altitudes → higher yield but lower quality (e.g., Assam tea).

Assam & North Bengal (Dooars, Terai) → hot, humid, low-lying, heavy rainfall → high yield.

Darjeeling (1,000–2,000 m) → cooler climate, mist → delicate flavor (“Champagne of teas”).

Nilgiris, Anamalai, Wayanad, Munnar (South India) → tropical highlands → fragrant, brisk tea.

Kangra (HP) → mid-altitude temperate climate → mild aroma.

Second largest producer in the world (after China).

Largest consumer (nearly 30% of world’s tea).

Famous varieties: Assam tea, Darjeeling tea (both have global reputation).

Tea is the State Drink of Assam; there were even proposals to make it the National Drink of India.

About 70% of tea produced in India is consumed domestically.

Tea has been known in India since ancient times:

• Tribes like the Singpho and Khamti in Assam consumed wild tea leaves from at least the 12th century.

• Some link tea to the ancient idea of Soma in Indian texts, though not proven.

Early records:

• 1684 Treaty of Tingmosgang mentions regular tea trade from Tibet to Ladakh.

1820s: British East India Company began experimenting with tea cultivation in Assam using local varieties consumed by tribes.

1826: British gained Assam after the Treaty of Yandabo.

1837: First English tea garden at Chabua (Upper Assam).

1840: Assam Tea Company started large-scale production, often using indentured local labour.

1850s onwards: Tea cultivation spread rapidly across Assam, Darjeeling, and South India.

Though India had native tea plants, the British initially imported Chinese seeds, which gave rise to Darjeeling tea. The Assamese variety was later used widely.

India was the largest tea producer for nearly a century, but now China leads due to larger land availability.

Still, India is the largest tea-drinking nation in the world.

Per capita consumption is ~750–840 grams/year (lower than Turkey’s 3 kg/year, but significant given India’s huge population).

Indian tea companies own major foreign brands like Tetley and Typhoo.

The Tea Board of India regulates production, certification, and exports.