Lamjung, April 15

The community tea farming launched in western Lamjung’s VDCs like Bhujung, Ghalegaun, Uttarkanya and Simpani has turned the district into the “Ilam of the west”. Farmers have started harvesting tea leaves from the plantations that started some 10 years ago.

Annapurna Area Conservation Project promoted the tea farming in Lamjung’s six VDCs after identifying the VDCs’ potential as pocket areas for tea production. Local farmers said their product was being exported even abroad. Hundreds of people from across the country visit the plantations daily. People who used to go to Darjeeling and Ilam in the past to see tea estates are coming to the Lamjung VDCs.

Locals have started buying tea from these places. In Bhujung alone, tea plants have been cultivated on 150 ropanis of land. Though tea is being produced in the villages, thebvillagers are forced to process the tea leaves by using traditional equipment like dhikis due to lack of modern processing plants. ACAP chief at the project’s area office in Bhujung, Bidur Bikram Kuikel said the tea produced in Lamjung was totally organic.