Wahid Khan

 Tea, what come to your mind when this word is said? An elixir? A source of freshness? A must have? A habit? Well whatever it is we all have our own reasons to drink tea. While some people like their tea to be strong and milky, some prefer it to be black or with lemon. Sects of health conscious people religiously drink green tea now-a- days. How is tea produce and how is it planted, soon you will witness this tea tale in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur.

 Jashpur was till now identified for its unique culture and natural beauty, however now the city of Jashpur will soon be known for its tea garden too.  Chhattisgarh will soon see the glory of lush green tea plantation in this cold and hilly area of the state.

Under the MGNREGA scheme, a 40-acre tea garden is being developed at Kantabel in Manora development block of Jashpur district at a cost of Rs 49 lakh. Around 2, 40,000 tea plants have been planted. There is a lot more to be done.

The neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand neither produce tea nor have plantations there. Therefore, the tea plantation here will not only attract the people of Chhattisgarh but also tourists from other states. The tea leaves produce would also generate employment for a lot of people if the same is supplied to other states. Though certain necessary chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used for tea production here but at the same time, organic manure is being used in the tea plantations of Jashpur. The organic tea produce will not only bring out a healthy end product to drink but it also has a better taste and freshness.

DFO Krishna Jadhav and SDO SK Gupta have been the main contributors in realizing that there can be a tea garden developed in the district. Apart from this, Ranger RP Singh Kavar from Manora, Forest Guard, Bhupendra Packra , Forest Range Assistant  Kamla Bhagat, Forest Guard  Om Prakash Ram, Forest Guard Suresh Lakra were seen working in this tea garden. Manora Forest Department has made a major contribution on this. The plantation will remain under the supervision of the forest department for five years. These people will hand it over to the panchayat after development.