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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GLOBAL RESEARCH INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGY (IJGRIT) [ Vol. 4 | No. 1 | January - March, 2026 ]

Tea Industry in North Bengal: Opportunities and Challenges

Dipankar Karmakar

Tea industry plays a pivotal role for the sustainable development of Norther part of West Bengal. North Bengal is famous for 3Ts comprising Tea, Timber and Tourism. It is one of the important agro-based industries not only in West Bengal but also in India. The Sub-Himalayan North Bengal comprised of eight districts, namely Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Kalimpong, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda and it is internationally renowned for its tea plantations, mainly Darjeeling tea, which enjoys Geographical Indication (GI) status. The present study is descriptive in nature and is based entirely on secondary data collected from Tea Board of India, Annual Report, reputed journals, articles and books etc. The objectives of the study are to examine history and growth of tea industry in North Bengal, its problems and prospects and suggests some policies measures. It also analyses spatial disparities using descriptive statistics such as mean, median, Range, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. The findings of the study reveal a significant regional concentration of tea gardens in the Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts, along with significant inequalities in distribution and productivity. The study revealed that sustainable practices like economic sustainability, worker welfare, and market expansion can ensure sustainability of the tea industry in North Bengal. Effective policy intervention and cooperation among stakeholders are essential for energizing the industry.

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