Nepal has a long history of tea cultivation. Planting of a tea plant, that Captain Gajaraj Singh Thapa received as present in China, in Ilam 150 years ago is considered as the beginning of tea cultivation in Nepal.

Nepal’s first tea auction house is slated to open in Jhapa by April-end, the National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) said.

Altogether 60 tea industries have been established in the east with an investment of around Rs 4.80 billion with the regular expansion of tea cultivation.