The history of tea cultivation in Uttarakhand is about 150 years old. In 1824, the British writer Bishop Heber, while expressing the possibility of cultivating tea in the Kumaon region, said that tea plants grow naturally on the land here but are not used. Heber had said that Kumaon’s soil, temperature and other weather conditions closely match those of China’s tea gardens. Tea cultivation has a come a long way in Uttarakhand since it was encouraged by the British. Today, there are some tea gardens which not only produce good quality tea but also provide locals with a source of employment. The Simgadi tea garden located along the border of Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts is one such example.

About three dozen Women here have become self-sufficient from this plantation. They get 18 to 20 days of work every month, but only a few days in the three rainy months. They get remuneration at the rate of Rs 316 per day. Along with their farming, these women are augmenting their income with their work in the tea garden which is also motivating the women of other villages to do the same.

The Uttarakhand Tea Development Board established the tea garden at Simgadi in 1994. The former Uttarakhand chief secretary RS Tolia and statehood activist Ganga Singh Pangti also played a role in establishment of this tea garden. At a time when lack of EMPLOYMENT opportunities remains one of the major factors for Migration from the mountainous regions, the tea garden is providing a reason for villagers to remain here. Pangti said that most of the people living in Simgadi are associated with this work. A woman earns upto Rs 7,000 per month from her work in the tea garden. He further said that there was a time when the tea from Uttarakhand was exported to all over the world with the tea from Berinag, Chaukori and Kausani leaving its mark.