By building on a proud legacy of enterprise that spanned nearly two and a half centuries, India has acquired an exalted status on the global tea map. The country is the second-largest tea producer in the world. Interestingly, India is also the world’s largest consumer of black tea. In all, the domestic market consuming 973 million kg of tea during 2016-17. India is ranked fourth in terms of tea exports, which reached 256.57 million kg during 2017-18 and were valued at US$ 785.92 million.
The top export markets in volume terms for 2017-18 were Russian Federation (48.1 million kg), Iran (31.19 million kg), and UAE (21.63 million kg). In terms of value, the top export markets were Iran (US$ 120.82 million), Russian Federation (US$ 120.59 million), and UAE (US$ 66.33 million). All varieties of tea are produced by India. While CTC accounts for around 89 percent of the production, orthodox/green and instant tea account for the remaining 11 percent.
Production of tea reached 1,325.05 million kg in 2017-18. Around 1,087.11 million kg was produced in North India and 233.65 million kg was produced in South India.
India has around 566.66 thousand hectares of area under tea production, as per figures for December 2015. Tea production is led by Assam (307.08 thousand hectares), West Bengal (140.44 thousand hectares), Tamil Nadu (69.62 thousand hectares), and Kerala (35.01 thousand hectares). According to estimates, the tea industry is India’s second-largest employer. It employs over 3.5 million people across some 1,686 estates and 157,504 smallholdings; most of them women.
The area under tea cultivation (as on December 31, 2015, & production (as of 2015-16) by region
| State / Districts | The area under tea (in Th. Hectares) | Production (Million Kgs) |
| Assam | 307.08 | 652.95 |
| West Bengal | 140.44 | 329.70 |
| Other North Indian States (Includes Tripura, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Orissa) |
12.29 | 25.91 |
| TOTAL NORTH INDIA | 459.81 | 1008.56 |
| Tamil Nadu | 69.62 | 161.46 |
| Kerala | 35.01 | 56.63 |
| Karnataka | 2.22 | 6.46 |
| TOTAL SOUTH INDIA | 106.85 | 224.58 |
| ALL TOTAL | 566.66 | 1233.14 |
List of top 50 exporters based on last five years
(2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15)
|
Sl. No. |
Exporters |
|
1 |
Mcleod Russel India Limited |
|
2 |
Bhansali & Co. |
|
3 |
Girnar Food & Beverages Pvt. Ltd. |
|
4 |
Limtex (India)Ltd. |
|
5 |
Ambo Exports Industries Ltd. |
|
6 |
J.V.Gokal & Co. Pvt. Ltd. |
|
7 |
Unilever India Exports Limited |
|
8 |
A.Tosh & Sons (India)Ltd. |
|
9 |
Jayshree Tea & Industries Ltd |
|
10 |
Shah Brothers |
|
11 |
S.S.K.Exports Limited. |
|
12 |
New Tea Co. Ltd. |
|
13 |
Madhu Jayanti International Ltd. |
|
14 |
M.K.Shah Exports Ltd. |
|
15 |
Apeejay Tea Limited |
|
16 |
Tata Tetley Pvt.Ltd. |
|
17 |
Vikrma Impex (P) Ltd. |
|
18 |
Global Exports Marketing Div. Of Bgh Exim Ltd. |
|
19 |
Goodricke Group Ltd |
|
20 |
Harrisons Malayalam Ltd |
|
21 |
Jfk International |
|
22 |
L.M.J.International Ltd. |
|
23 |
Narendra Tea Co.(P).Ltd. |
|
24 |
Siewert And Dholakia Overseas Private Limited |
|
25 |
G.A.Randerian Pvt.Ltd. |
|
26 |
The Bombay Burmah Trading Corpn. Ltd |
|
27 |
Tea Group Exports |
|
28 |
Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Co.Pvt.Ltd. |
|
29 |
Godfrey Phillips India Ltd. |
|
30 |
Assam Company India Limited |
|
31 |
Anita Exports |
|
32 |
Blue Mountain Tea And Commodities Pvt. Ltd. |
|
33 |
Balaji Agro Pvt.Ltd. |
|
34 |
Tata Tea Limited |
|
35 |
Jfk International Ltd. |
|
36 |
Havukal Tea & Produce Co. Pvt. Ltd. |
|
37 |
Indian Products Ltd. |
|
38 |
Asian Tea Company Private Limited |
|
39 |
The North-Western Cachar Tea Co.Ltd. |
|
40 |
Chamong Tea Exports Pvt.Ltd. |
|
41 |
New Tea Exports Private Limited |
|
42 |
Asian Tea & Exports Ltd. |
|
43 |
Avt Natural Products Limited |
|
44 |
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. Ltd. |
|
45 |
AL-Gayathri Trading CO.(P)Ltd. |
|
46 |
Neelamalai Agro Industries Ltd. |
|
47 |
Bajaj Enterprise |
|
48 |
Glenworth Estate Limited |
|
49 |
Rossell Tea |
|
50 |
The Coonoor Tea Estates Co.Ltd. |