Tea production in Ilam

Ilam (Nepali: ईलाम) is a municipality and tea-producing town in Nepal. It is in Ilam District which is in hilly Eastern Region of Nepal. It is famous for natural scenery and landscapes, tea production, and diverse agricultural economy.

Tea Production

Tea production in Ilam (as Nepal tea) started as early as 1863, when the Chinese government offered then Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana tea saplings that were then planted in Ilam. In 1868, the Ilam tea factory was established, and
tea plantations covered over 135 acres of land. In 2010, the tea factory was privatized, and is currently not under operation.^[1] However, tea production continues in Ilam in other forms.
In 2010, the total tea production of Nepal is 16.23 million kilograms per annum; a majority of this amount is produced in Ilam itself^[2]

Economy

Ilam's economy is primarily agriculture based; 88% of the population depends on Agriculture.^[3] Ilam is known for its six "A"s: are Alu (Potato), Olan (Milk), Alainchi (Cardamom), Aduwa (Ginger), Amriso (Broom Grass), and Akabare khursani (Round Chillies),^[4] although tea, bamboo, flowers and silk are also produced in Ilam.

Environmentalism in Ilam

Ilam municipality is also known for its innovations in environmentalism. In 2010, the municipality became the first one in Nepal to ban plastic bags from the market. The district also set aside 38 ropanis (>19,000 square metres) of land in the same year for processing degradable waste.^[5] In addition, Ilam's network of microhydropower produces more reliable electricity than is available in the rest of Nepal.^[6]