Tea cultivation and its prospects in Pakistan

Taking tea is an integral part of social life in Pakistan the tea consumed in the country is imported making Pakistan the second largest importer after United Kingdom the consumption is increasing day by day mainly due to the rapid increase in population keeping in view the alarming situation it seems imperative to develop tea industry at indigenous level to avert the continuous drain on meager foreign exchange resources of the country tea is a unique crop as its cultivation & harvesting do not fit in to any typical cropping pattern it is a perennial evergreen shrub and its tender leaves and a bud are plucked for processing the black or green tea it is a crop of wide adaptability and grows in a range of climates and soils in various parts of the world fortunately Pakistan has a sizeable potential tea growing area that exists in different agro ecological zones of northern highlands of KPK.Climate of these areas appears appropriate for certain tea varieties of shrubtype which can tolerate cold & drought conditions. Successful cultivation of Chinese tea varieties at NTRI has demonstrated the potential of large scale tea production in the region.