Plucking of first flush tea begins in Ilam

By Our Correspondent, Ilam, Mar. 14: Plucking of the first flush tea this year has begun in Ilam. The first plucking, known as the “First Flush,” is considered high-quality tea.

Tea is harvested during March and April, and the first flush often becomes a major source of income for tea entrepreneurs and farmers throughout the year.

“This plucking is done very carefully. It is used to make high-quality tea and is very important for export to third countries,” said tea entrepreneur of Ilam, Sharad Subba. “The first plucking has started in the Soyak tea garden of Ilam. Around 250 kilograms of tea were collected in the first harvest,” he said. 

According to Subba, tea plucking has also started in Ilam’s southern areas, such as Soyak and Chilimkot. He said that the price of green tea leaves has been kept the same as last year. 

Subba, who runs the Jasbire Tea Factory in Ilam, said that this year too, it has been decided to pay Rs. 65 to Rs. 1,500 per kg, depending on the quality, the same as last year's.

Farmers said that because there has been no rainfall since October/November, tea plucking in the higher hill areas of Ilam may only begin by the third week of March this year.

Meanwhile, the Kanchanjunga Tea Factory in Panchthar has also started processing the first flush tea. The first flush tea prepared by producers is mainly exported to countries such as Germany, Russia, the United States, and various European nations.

In Ilam, different varieties and flavours of tea are produced and exported under names such as Golden, Golden Pearl, Silver, Golden Black, and Green tea.

According to data from the Mechi Customs Office in Jhapa, Nepal exported around 8,677,221 kilograms of tea worth Rs. 2.32 billion so far of the current fiscal year 2025/26.