Tie-up call for hills, UK garden - Cross-country bond beckons tea & tourism

Siliguri, Nov. 18: A delegation of industrialists from north Bengal has proposed to twin Darjeeling hills with England’s only tea garden, Tregothnan, for free flow of tourists and exchange of tea. The proposal came from the North Bengal zonal council of the Confederation of Indian Industry, when a team visited the Tregothnan estate in September. The estate in Cornwall in the south-west of England comprises tea plantation, dense woods and several tourist attractions. “It was nice to visit the estate that is spread over two counties of Cornwall and Kent. Tea is cultivated on around 100 acres on the estate. We proposed that Tregothnan can be twinned with Darjeeling hills, especially with focus on Darjeeling tea. There can be exchange of information, different species of tea and other flora between the two places,” said Ramgopal Jajodia, the chairperson of the zonal council of the CII. Jonathon Jones, a director of the Tregothnan estate, told the delegation that he would take a positive look at the proposal. “He (Jones) seemed to be enthusiastic about the idea and said joint efforts need to be made to forge the tie-up by including the stakeholders of the Darjeeling tea industry and the governments of India and the UK,” said Jajodia. The delegates had recounted during their interaction with the Tregothnan officials that the bond between India and England with regard to tea go back to when the British had set up gardens in north Bengal and other parts of the country centuries back. The CII feels the tie-up between the hills and the Tregothnan estate that came up in 1335 can give global exposure to Indian tea. “Our intention is to augment the international market of Indian tea. If we can forge a relationship with the UK-based estate, it will go a long way in promoting Darjeeling as a tourist destination and the producer of best brew. This is because a lot of people from different parts of the UK and other countries visit Tregothnan and they can be told about Darjeeling. Similarly, Tregothnan can also be promoted among the tourists coming to Darjeeling,” said Jajodia. The CII officials said they were eagerly looking forward to a reply from Tregothnan official Jones on the proposal when he attended the three-day Indian Tea Forum here next month. The event will be organised by the CII from December 17 to 19. “Jones has confirmed his participation at the event and will make a presentation on December 18. We can hear from him what exactly they want. The matter can be discussed with the tea stakeholders and government officials as well at the forum,” said Laxmi Limbu Kaushal, the administrative head of the CII zonal council and one of the delegates to the UK. The forum is being organised to promote the beverage and tourism internationally, and will see experts discuss various issues related to the tea industry. Kaushal said Tregothnan resembled Darjeeling in terms of flora. “Like Darjeeling, the estate has tea plants, rhododendrons and shrubs. We saw in Tregothnan tea plants brought from Sikkim and Darjeeling. One of the Sikkim plants was 100 years old,” she said.(the Telegraph)