Anchor India 2014 Anchor India 2014 | Page 254

Tea industry occupies an important place and plays a very useful role in the national economy mainly due to its pre-eminence as a foreign exchange earner and its contributions to the country’s GDP. Over the years, India has emerged to be the world leader in production, consumption and export of tea with over 30% share of the global production. It is perhaps the only industry where India has retained its leadership over the last 150 years. Tea production in India has a very interesting history to it. Tea plantations are mainly located in rural hills and backward areas 252 tea ANCHOR INDIA of Northern Eastern and Southern states. The major tea growing areas in India are concentrated in Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu and Kerala. The other areas growing tea to the extent is Karnataka, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Bihar. Tea known as Cha, Chai in India and in Sri Lanka is a very common drink, sipped regularly during the mornings and evenings. Courtesy demands most of us to offer Tea to our guests both at homes and in our offices. During conferences and business