In North Bengal, tea estates now come in the size of kitchen gardens
The small growers are producing nearly half of the region's annual tea output.
When Subhash Sarkar retired from his government job in Siliguri, a town in North Bengal, in 2012, he put most of his money in five acres of what appeared to be barren land in Phansidewa block, 15 km away. His plan was to raise a tea plantation there. Four years on, this small estate is helping him recover some of that investment.From such small beginnings, Sarkar has now ventured into tea tourism, adding a banquet area and accommodations to his plantation, which he has named Tea Leaf Resort. And it is doing brisk business.A tea plantation of the same size fetches them at least double the amount if not more, excluding expenses on labour, fertilisers and pesticides.
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